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Christian Efficiency 



FIRST SERIES 



HARRY LYON BRENNER 



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ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS BOOK 

may be obtained by sending 

ONE DOLLAR 

TO THE PUBI^ISHERS, 

TIERNAN-DART PRINTING COMPANY, 

312-314 West Sixth Street, 
Kansas City, Mo., 
Or to the author, 

HARRY LYON BRENNER, 

KIRKWOOD. MO. 



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HARRY LYON BRENNER 



46 



Christian Efficiency'' 



HARRY LYON BRENNER 



AN EXPOSITION OF CHRISTIANITY 
IN ITS RELATION TO LIFE. 

NOT BASED UPON TRADITIONS .AND BELIEFS, 
BUT UPON REASON AND LOGIC. WRITTEN 
FOR CHRISTIAN AND NON-CHRIS- 
TIAN THINKERS. 

'* Ye shall KNOW the truth, and the truth shall make you free. " 



OESOIOATED TO THE MBNT'S BIBLE CLASS OF THE FIRST 
PRESBYTERIAN- OHUROH OF KAXSAS CITY, MO. 



KANSAS CITY, MO. 

TIKRNTAN-DART PRINTING COMPANY 
1915 



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COPYRIGHT, 1©15 
BY HARRY LYON^ BRKNNER 



^C!,A401253 

JUN -7 1915 



CONTENTS 



Page 

Preface , 9 

Man's Relation to God 13 

Man's Destiny and Mission 22 

An Analysis of Truth 27 

An Analysis of Sin 34 

An Analysis of Temptation 45 

An Analysis of Faith 53 

An Analysis of Prayer 65 

A Portrait of the Messiah 71 

Atrophy — Living Death 78 

An Analysis of Salvation 86 

Christian Efficiency 92 



PREFACE. 



Christianity is not a single manifestation. It 
i» a development of the religious thought of many 
ages. The Christ came not to destroy the Law, 
but to fulfill it. He did not destroy Judaism, He 
perfected it. 

Neither is Christianity a simple statement of 
doctrine. It has many angles and contains many 
phases. Denominational and other religious dif- 
ferences are, in reality, but differences of per- 
spective. To properly understand Christianity 
one must view it from all sides. 

There is an oriental legend to the effect that a 
committee of ants were once sent to investigate 
an elephant which was reported near their hill. 
Upon their return one member of the committee 
described the elephant as being like a tree trunk, 
but bare and without branches. Another said 
that the elephant was a huge bird, inasmuch as 
he had climbed upon one of its wings which im- 
mediately began to flap. The third called the 
elephant a large, tapering serpent. He explained 

9 



10 Preface. 

that he had climbed upon this serpent, and that 
it did wriggle and twist. 

The descriptions of these three ants were frag- 
mentary, and therefore unreliable. Yet they con- 
tained some truth. One had explored only the 
elephant's leg, another his ear, and the third his 
trunk. Their descriptions were true to their ex- 
periences and observations. Yet one could not 
gain a correct conception of an elephant from the 
description of any or all of them. 

In just such manner there are many who in- 
vestigate some one angle of Christianity and try 
to foist their findings upon the people as a de- 
scription of the whole. Naturally others, who 
have investigated another angle, come along 
and contradict them, and claim that their de- 
scription embraces Christianity in its entirety. 
Therefore an argument. 

To avoid any argument I state here frankly 
that I make no claims that this book contains an 
authoritative exposition of all, or any, of the 
principles of Christianity. It holds merely my 
personal views which are the product of long and 
earnest study of the subjects treated. 

My treatment of the principles of Christianity 
as herein set forth is purely intellectual. I make 



Preface. 11 

no appeal to the emotions. My aim is merely to 
place before you the perspective of one who was 
brought up in opposition to Christ and Christian* 
ity, and who was therefore compelled to employ 
REASON before the emotions or the will could be 
influenced. I lay claim to nothing new or orig- 
inal. I am just giving you a view of the very 
same things you have long looked at, but from a 
different angle. 

If anything I say appeals to you, and you find 
that you can endorse it and subscribe to it, you 
are welcome to appropriate it. If, on the other 
hand, you find that you cannot agree with my de- 
ductions, discard them. It is to me a matter of 
utter indifference whether you agree or disagree 
with me. I have laid the table and placed before 
you what I think is a pretty good meal. If you 
find anything you like, help yourself. Whatever 
does not appeal to your palate let alone. I have 
done my best in the capacity of host, and whether 
my viands do or do not please you I trust that 
you will at least appreciate my hospitality. 

Harry Lyon Brenner. 

Kansas City, Mo., February 1, 1915. 



CHRISTIAN EFFICIENCY 



CHAPTER I. 
Man's Relation to God. 

In the development of the religious idea which 
has culminated in present day Christianity we 
find many different conceptions of God. The 
Egyptian Jews first thought of Him as an in- 
effable, transcendent and mysterious diety ; one of 
the pantheon who selected them for a nation. 
Later He became to them a tribal, or national 
deity. He was their military leader, a **man of 
war." Still later they acclaimed Him as their 
King, and worshipped Him as a Sovereign Ruler, 
majestic and mighty. Then Christ gave them the 
conception of God as a Loving Father. 

All these conceptions are true, but not any one 
of them is the whole truth. God is all that has 
been mentioned, but also much more. 

Our present conception of God, judging by our 
attitude toward Him, is probably the lowest and 
most unworthy that has ever been entertained. 
We treat God as if He were a suppliant, and His 
church as if it were a beggar. Everywhere we 
hear pastors and Christian workers representing 

13 



14 Christian Efficiency. 

God as standing with outstretched hand, continu- 
ally begging; 'Tlease give — Please give." He is 
always humbly soliciting a little of our time, of 
our energy, of our money. And we talk proudly 
of GIVING God of OUR possessions. We seem to 
think that we are doing Him a great favor if we 
spend a little time in worship each week, and if 
we pass Him a dollar or two for the advance- 
ment of His work. 

My proposition is, GoD, the Capitalist. 

Although we may not see all of its details it 
is self-evident that God is perfecting a great plan 
in this world. His plan can be neither hindered 
nor overthrown. It is inevitable. This is mani- 
fested in His dealings with the children of Israel. 
When the Jews were helpless, slaves in Egypt it 
seemed that his promise to Abraham must fail of 
fulfillment. Then God raised up Moses. The death 
of Moses appeared for the moment an irreparable 
calamity. But God had prepared a Joshua to 
continue the work. He raised up Judges and 
Prophets and Kings; He sent Christ and the 
Apostles, Martyrs and Reformers, all in due sea- 
son, so that His plan has continually advanced. 
Through it all man has been a co-laborer with 

God. 

For the kingdom of heaven is as a man 
traveling into a far country, who called his 
own servants, and delivered unto them his 
goods. 



Christian Efficiency. 15 

And unto one he gave five talents, to 
another two, to another one; to every man 
according to his several ability ; and straight- 
way took his journey. 

Then he that had received the five talents 
went and traded with the same, and made 
them other five talents. 

And likewise he that had received two, he 
also gained other two. 

But he that had received one went and 
digged in the earth, and hid his lord's 
money. 

After a long time the lord of those ser- 
vants Cometh, and reckoneth with them. 

And so he that had received five talents 
Came and brought other five talents, saying. 
Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: 
behold, I have gained beside them five tal- 
ents more. 

His lord said unto him, Well done, thou 
good and faithful servant; thou hast been 
faithful over a few things, I will make thee 
ruler over many things: enter thou into the 
joy of thy lord. 

He also that had received two talents came 
and said. Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two 
talents ; behold, I have gained two other tal- 
ents beside them. 

His lord said unto him. Well done, good 
and faithful servant; thou hast been faith- 
ful over a few things, I will make thee ruler 
over many things; enter thou into the joy of 
thy lord. 

Then he which had received the one talent 
came and said. Lord, I knew thee that thou 



16 Christian Efficiency. 

are an hard man, reaping where thou hast 
not sown, and gathering where thou hast 
not strawed: 

And I was afraid, and went and hid thy 
talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that 
is thine. 

His lord answered and said unto him, 
Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou 
knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and 
gather where I have not strawed: 

Thou oughtest therefore to have put my 
money to the exchangers, and then at my 
coming I should have received mine own 
with usury. 

Take therefore the talent from him, and 
give it unto him which hath ten talents. 

For unto every one that hath shall be 
given, and he shall have abundance; but 
from him that hath not shall be taken away 
even that which he hath. 

And cast ye the unprofitable servant into 
outer darkness: there shall be weeping and 
gnashing of teeth. 

Matt. 25:14-30. 

From the parable of the Talents we learn that 
God is a great Capitalist who deposited his 
wealth with his servants with instructions to in- 
vest it for Him. He did not Give it, but only 
Loaned it to them. He made it plain that at some 
later date they would have to account to Him not 
alone for the original sum which they had re- 
ceived, but also for the profits, or at least the 
interest, on His money. 



Christian Efficiency. 17 

It is worthy of note that after these servants 
had received their Master's wealth they them- 
selves were no richer than they had been before; 
except in responsibility. None of them could say 
"I have five talents," or "I have two talents," be- 
cause it did not belong to them. It was still just 
as much their Lord's as if it were in His vault 
instead of in their pockets. 

Today it is quite common to hear people refer 
to what they term **My Business," "My Income," 
**My Money." They do not seem to realize that 
they have no business or money of their own, 
that it all belongs to God, and that it is merely 
deposited with them to invest for Him. There is 
coming a day when you will be unable to spend 
one cent of your financial holdings. The business 
which you so laboriously built up will pass on to 
other hands, and will be conducted by men who 
perhaps will utterly disregard the policy which 
represents your individuality therein. To them 
your name will be but a tradition. 

You have probably heard the story of the rich 
Baltimorean who directed that after his death 
his body should be placed in a casket having two 
arm-holes, and that, with his hands protruding 
from these arm-holes, he should be conveyed 
through the streets of his city. He wanted the 
people to see that with all of his vast wealth he 
was going to his account with God empty-handed. 



18 Christian Efficiency. 

He realized that his wealth was but loaned to him 
for a short time. 

You speak of your home, but it is not yours 
for keeps. Within a few years those rooms filled 
with a thousand tender associations will be oc- 
cupied by total strangers to whom they will be 
nothing but walls and floors and ceilings. Even 
a wife, or a husband, is but a temporary loan from 
God. There comes a time when you must stand 
beside an open grave in a last farewell to the 
earthly remains of the one you love best. Your 
children are under your care and direction but 
for a short time. It will not be long before they 
have left the *'nest." Your abilities are but a 
matter of a few years. And even your body will 
be stripped from you some day and given back 
to Mother Earth. Without money or business or 
home or wife or children or body — just a naked 
soul — you will stand before God to give account to 
Him for those things which were entrusted to 
your care for a little while. And He will demand 
not only the original capital intact, but interest 
as well. 

We are told in the parable that one man, in- 
stead of investing his Master's money hid it safe- 
ly away. He was at least honest. He did not 
waste any of it, nor did he spend it upon himself. 
He gave back to his Lord every cent that the 
Lord had given him. But that was not enough. 
God demands his own with interest. **Cast ye 



Christian Efficiency. 19 

the UNPROFITABLE servant into outer darkness" 
was the awful doom that smote upon the ears of 
the horror-stricken inefficient servant. 

Do you repudiate God's ownership of all that 
you have and are? Do you call it yours and use 
it in accordance with your pleasure instead of 
God's will? Do you accumulate and invest for 
the purpose of passing on to your children and 
other beneficiaries, as if it were yours to dispose 
of as you will? Or do you hold it instead a loan 
from God to be invested for Him? There are 
many Christians today who are living in such man- 
ner that when they are called to account they will 
not be able to return God even the PRINCIPAL, 
let alone any interest. Remembering the fate of 
the servant who returned the one talent intact, 
what think you will happen to the one who is 
not able to do even that well? 

There is a beautiful legend told about Rabbi 
Meir, a contemporary of Jesus. This Rabbi was 
a very devout Jew and a great teacher. It was 
his custom to spend every Sabbath (from star- 
light on Friday until sunset on Saturday) , in the 
Temple in prayer and teaching. He had a very 
pious wife and two sons of tender age. 

Onie Sabbath, while he was in the Temple, his 
two sons at home were taken suddenly ill, and in 
a short time died. Their mother had them con- 
veyed into an upper chamber and laid upon a bed. 
And because the Sabbath is the ''Lord's Bride," 



20 Christian Efficiency. 

and therefore a day not suitable for sorrow, she 
waited until evening should come before breaking 
the news to her husband. 

At the evening meal Rabbi Meir inquired after 
the absent sons. His wife evaded the question 
by telling him that they were not far off. Then 
she said: **Rabbi, I have a question of law to 
ask you. A long time ago a friend told me that 
she was compelled to go on a long journey. She 
had two very precious jewels, but she was afraid 
to take them with her, and had no place to hide 
them. She asked me if I would take care of them 
for her, and I said I would. Now this friend has 
returned, and asks me to restore her jewels to her. 
Shall I do so, Rabbi?" 

"My good wife," replied the Rabbi, **I am sur- 
prised that you should even ask such a question. 
Have I not taught you that God requires abso- 
lute honesty? Of course you should return those 
jewels, and you should do so freely, and gladly." 

'^Before I return them," said the wife, "I would 
have you look at them. Come with me." 

She took him to the upper room, and pulling 
back the sheet disclosed their two sons lying still 
and white in death. In an outburst of anguish 
Rabbi Meir threw himself upon the lifeless 
bodies, crying out, "Oh my sons, my sons ! Would 
to God I had died in your stead." 

Gently his wife drew him off the bed, and said : 
"Rabbi, these are the jewels. But did you not say 



Christian Efficiency. 21 

that they should be returned freely and gladly?" 

"Wife," answered Rabbi Meir, "thou art more 
righteous than I. The Lord hath given, the Lord 
hath taken away; blessed be the name of the 
Lord." 

God is a great Capitalist. All that we have, 
and are, belong to Him. They are entrusted to 
our care for a short time merely for the purpose 
of investing for Him. There is no room in the 
Kingdom of God for anyone who is dishonest, or 
lazy, or inefficient. The unprofitable servant is 
outcasted. God wants results. 

This capitalist is our Father. We are not ser- 
vants, but Sons. We are members of the firm of 
"God and Sons." All of the capital and the stock 
belong to Him. As members of this firm our only 
business is the advancement and the upbuilding 
thereof. Happy are we if we are found faithful 
and profitable, for great is our reward. But woe ! 
unto us if we are found to be thieves and em- 
bezzlers appropriating the firm's money or goods 
to ourselves. Dire are the consequences. 

May God's pronouncement upon you in the day 
of reckoning be, "Well done, good and faithful 
son." 



CHAPTER II. 
Man's Destiny and Mission. 

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof." 

There is a Biblical distinction between **earth" 
and "world." By the "earth" is meant all that 
God has created and is managing. By the 
"world" is meant the people in their self-di- 
rected activities, principally those which are op- 
posed to God's will and His principles of right- 
eousness. 

The earth, therefore, is the Lord's, and all 
nature is His capital. 

Everything which He has created has a DES- 
TINY to attain and a MISSION to fulfill. 

If I show you an acorn you know at once that 
its Destiny is to become an oak tree. The Des- 
tiny of one seed is a blade of grass, of another a 
vegetable, of a third a flower, etc. 

One lump of metal is sent to a gun factory, and 
by virtue of that fact it is Destined to become a 
gun. Another lump of the same metal is sent to 
a scale factory, and its Destiny is to become a 
pair of scales. 

All Destinies are fixed by nature, by provi- 
dence, by God. This is clearly evident in the 

laws governing reproduction of species. An egg 

22 



Christian Efficiency. 23 

cannot hatch a mouse, neither can an acorn pro- 
duce a fish. 

While the Destiny of every created thing is 
fixed by God, (without the consent or co-opera- 
tion of the thing itself), yet the attainment of 
Destiny is dependent upon environment. The 
acorn will not become an oak tree unless it has 
proper soil, nourishment, sunshine, rain, etc. It 
is only under proper conditions that the rosebud 
attains Destiny and becomes a full grown expres- 
sion of God. 

One great advantage which we as human beings 
have over the rest of creation is that we are able 
to select our environments. You can place your- 
self under conditions that will develop within you 
a knowledge of good, and proper abilities for ex- 
pressing that knowledge. Or else you can place 
yourself under such conditions as will develop 
within you all of the possibilities for bad which 
your nature contains. In order to attain Destiny 
you must be careful to shun evil environments, 
and just as careful to let slip by no opportunity 
of placing yourself under good influences. 

Probably by this time you are aware as to what 
I mean by Destiny. Destiny is fullness, com- 
pletion, PERFECTION. Christ said, "Be ye 
perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven 
is perfect." The Greek word which is here trans- 
lated "perfection" means "completeness." 



24 Christian Efficiency. 

Now, whenever anything has attained Destiny 
its Mission naturally and inevitably follows. 

Behold a beautiful rose. It has attained Des- 
tiny — Perfection. It may be selected to adorn 
some fair lady's hair, or to rest upon her bosom ; 
or perhaps it will be chosen to bring cheer and 
consolation into a sick room; or it may be its 
mission to render a little honey to some passing 
bee, and its fragrance to the vagrant breeze. The 
Destiny of a gun is to shoot straight ; that of the 
scales to weigh accurately. Once they have at- 
tained Destiny, Perfection, they are sure of Mis- 
sion. 

Your Destiny is to become a MAN. When I 
say "man" I mean it in the Biblical sense. I 
mean it with all that it implies of Greatness, 
Goodness and Nobilty. I mean it as David did 
when he said, **What is man that Thou art mind- 
ful of him * * * Thou hast made him but little 
LOWER THAN GOD." "To as many as believed on 
Him to them gave he the power to become the 
Sons of God." "Beloved, now are we the 
sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we 
shall be, for when He shall appear we shall be 
like Him for we shall see Him as He is." 

I am altogether out of sympathy with that false 
humility which causes a man to brand himself a 
"worm." I cannot understand why anybody 
should think that groveling, and going about with 
a dirty face, unkept hair and unsightly clothes, 



Christian Efficiency. 25 

should be more religious or more pleasing to God 
than cleanliness and neatness and uprightness. 
To my mind God is an Artist, and a lover of 
beauty. He has painted the rose and the lily, has 
put the color into the apple, the blush upon the 
peach ; He has made beautiful the sunset and the 
sunrise. It seems clear that to be beautiful in 
appearance, action and character must be pleas- 
ing to His nature. Yet there are many who, by 
their uncouth manner, conversation and appear- 
ance, render our beautiful religion repugnant. 
Jesus was humble, but He never crawled. He 
walked erect. 

The rose, or the gun, or the scales, neither seek 
nor select their missions. Each is found and se- 
lected by its own mission. Neither are their 
missions confused. The gun is not selected to 
weigh with, nor the rose to shoot with. 

If you attain Destiny your Mission will dis- 
cover you. Do not worry about it, nor seek it. 
But if you do not attain Destiny you will have 
no mission. The frosted rose remains unplucked, 
and the only place for imperfect guns and scales 
is the scrap heap. 

To attain Destiny you must be true to your 
manhood. By harmony with God, His laws and 
ideals, you will grow into perfection in conform- 
ity with your character. Your Destiny is like no 
one else's. Do not try to imitate. Be true only 
to yourself, and keep your heart and mind open 



26 Christian Efficiency. 

to receive the impressions which God desires to 
convey to you. Thus you will attain Destiny 
naturally, as the rose, under proper environment, 
grows into perfection in harmony with its own 
character. And God will take care of your Mis- 
sion. 

It may be your Mission to represent the Father 
and to co-operate with Him in the sphere of real 
estate, or banking, or teaching, or laboring, or 
preaching, or housekeeping. All missions are of 
equal importance to God. Sometimes we think of 
the minister as having a higher mission than 
others. As a matter of fact, if all the preachers 
were to die suddenly God would still remain, and 
there would still be enough truth left so that the 
world might struggle through. But how hard 
would it be if all the farmers should die off ! And 
what would happen to this old world of ours if 
all the mothers should be taken away? 

We are accustomed to thinking that the num- 
ber of jewels that our Heavenly crown will con- 
tain depends upon the number of souls we have 
brought Christ. My friend, if I, an evangelist, 
have the opportunity of winning a thousand to 
Jesus during my life time, and you, a banker, or 
a housekeeper, have not the opportunity of win- 
ning even one, if you are in every respect true 
to your mission, and I fall short by only one of 
my possibilities, your reward in Heaven will be 
greater than mine. For you will have been more 



Christian Efficiency. 27 

faithful than I. See the Parable of the Talents. 
You may be sure that you have attained Des- 
tiny, and are in Mission, if the sole purpose of 
your existence is "to manifest the Father." As 
Jesus said , **Wist ye not that I must be about my 
Father's business." You will then reflect the 
Father in your appearance, in your conversation, 
in your manner, in all of your activities ; business, 
social, domestic and religious. You will manifest 
Him naturally, without conscious effort, as the 
perfect rose naturally looks beautiful, as the per- 
fect gun naturally shoots straight. All who as- 
sociate with you will be attracted by you to God; 
they will "see your light, and glorify your Father 
which is in Heaven." 

An Analysis of Truth. 

Let us begin this subject with an examination 
of the three principal elements which it contains : 
REALITY, TRUTH and KNOWLEDGE. 

Reality is the Fact, the Thing itself. 

Truth is a Formula that expresses Reality. 

Knowledge is a Perception of the correct 
Formula. 

For example, this book is a Reality. The 
formula "This is a book" expresses the reality; 
therefore it is Truth. If I should say, "This is a 
hat," it would be untruth because it would not ex- 
press the reality. 



28 Christian Efficiency. 

The roundness of the earth is a Reality. It wad 
so in ancient times as well as now. The correct 
formula is, *'The earth is round." The formula 
of the ancients, however, was, "The earth is flat." 
Therefore they believed an untruth with respect 
to the earth's shape. 

There are many different kinds of truth : 

ETERNAL TRUTH. The formula "2x2 equals 
4" always was, is and shall be. Truth. So with 
**God is Love." That was the nature of God al- 
ways, and whoever thought differently held an 
untrue conception. 

TEMPORAL TRUTH. "It is snowing." 
"There is war in Europe." "The price of eggs 
is 40 cents a dozen." These are samples of Tem- 
poral Truth. 

UNIVERSAL TRUTH. The necessity of food to 
sustain life, and the fact that fire bums, are of 
universal application. 

PERSONAL cr INDIVIDUAL TRUTH. A 
person tells me h's age is 25. That is Truth only 
for one year. A year from now that same Form- 
ula will not express the then Reality. 

We might mention also POSITIVE TRUTH, 
NEGATIVE TRUTH, etc., etc. 

Truth, whether eternal or temporal, universal 
or personal, is Inviolable. You cannot destroy it, 
or alter it. You may usher out a Temporal or an 
Individual Truth by changing the Reality, there- 
by instituting a new one. But while a Truth 



Christian Efficiency. 29 

is in force you must conform to it, and regulate 
yourself by it, or take the consequences. 

For instance, a woman takes from the medicine 
chest a bottle labeled, "Headache Tablets." In 
reality the bottle contains bichloride of mercury. 
The label does not express the Reality, therefore 
it is an untruth. The woman swallows the tab- 
lets, thereby disregarding the Truth and conform- 
ing to untruth, and pays the price with her life. 

While truth is Inviolable it may be disregarded 
through ignorance, as in the case of the woman 
just mentioned, or it may be disdained deliber- 
ately, as when a drunkard continues his booze al- 
though he understands the truth as to its effect 
upon him. 

Whether Truth is disregarded or disdained the 
consequences are equally sure. 

The ancients suffered the consequences of many 
wrong Formulas, or untruths. Thinking the 
earth flat they had very little commerce. They 
were afraid to sail out upon the sea for fear of 
falling off. They believed that plagues and epi- 
demics were visitations from an angry god. For 
that reason they had no sanitation. Had they 
known the truth about germs and microbes and 
sanitary laws there would have been no angry 
god, and no plagues. They believed in oracles, and 
became the victims of a gigantic swindle. They 
believed in the "divine appointment of kings," 
and voluntarily shackled themselves. 



30 Christian Efficiency. 

Regardless of man's belief — Realities remained 
Realities, and Truth remained Truth. The earth 
has not become flat to accommodate itself to 
man's belief, but man has changed his belief to 
harmonize with Reality, or Truth, as he dis- 
covered it. 

Since some Truths are temporal, since some 
are dying out and others being born, it stands to 
reason that the search for truth must therefore 
be unending. It is of as much importance to 
discover and embrace a New Truth as it is to 
discard a Dead Truth. 

A great many new truths have come into ex- 
istence within the past one hundred years. A 
corresponding number of old truths have died 
out during that same period. Today it is Truth 
that one may talk to some one else a thousand 
miles away, that he may travel hundreds of miles 
within a few hours, that he may have the greatest 
musical talent in the world to amuse him in his 
own room by simply turning on his phonograph, 
that he may have light without lamps and heat 
without wood or coal, that he may travel under 
the water and over the earth. One hundred years 
ago it was Truth to say, "These things CANNOT be 
done." Today that formula is untruth. Truth 
is, **they can be, and are, done.'' 

In every department of life there is an ener- 
getic search after Truth. The astronomer weighs 
the stars, the surgeon studies the intricacies of 



Christian Efficiency. 31 

the human body, the psychologist probes 
the human mind, the sociologist learns how both 
sides live, and the scientist spies upon the secrets 
of nature. 

To this grand search for truth there is but one 
exception — Religion, Buddhism, Ismalism, Ju- 
daism, Christianity, Denominationalism, all 
cry. The Past— The Past. They say. Do not 
search the Scriptures, but believe. Believe what? 
Believe what they declare. Tell them that you do 
not want to believe, that you want to KNOW, and 
they call you a heretic. 

Yet belief teaches that the world is flat, that 
witches and demons exist, that healings and 
resurrections have been and are performed by 
dead men's bones, that there is a purgatory which 
offers a splendid opportunity to bribe God with 
masses and candles, that the elements used in the 
sacramental service are transformed into the 
very blood and flesh of Jesus Christ, thereby 
making cannibals of us. 

It was their blind belief, imposed by their 
church, which caused parents to burn their chil- 
dren to death in the belly of Moloch. It com- 
pelled the Hindu mothers to throw their offspring 
to the crocodiles in the river Ganges. It was re- 
sponsible for the Crusades. It was the fuel of 
the terrible and bloody Inquisition. It caused 
"witches'' to be burned in Salem, and is the only 



32 Christian Efficiency. 

foundation upon which denominational differ- 
ences now rest. 

Blind belief and bigotry go hand in hand. This 
bigotry it was that killed the prophets, that 
crucified the Messiah, that slaughtered the 
martyrs, and that exiled the Hugenots, the Quak- 
ers and the Jews. 

It is the blind bigots to whom Paul refers as 
having **a zeal of God, but not according to 
knowledge.'' Certainly Paul knew from terrible 
experience the terrors of such a zeal. Many had 
he haled into prison, and many had suffered at 
his hand because of his misdirected enthusiasm. 
That was before he had come into a knowledge of 
the Truth. Unfortunately very few bigots ever 
learn the Truth. They are so cock-sure that they 
have it already that it is impossible for them to 
examine anything without prejudice and bias. 

Why are not such things as I have above men- 
tioned done today? Has truth changed? No. 
Man has simply discarded some wrong Formulas, 
and has discovered and is practicing a few ad- 
ditional correct ones. 

In fact, we are now arrived at that period in 
our religious development when we must have a 
Faith not based upon belief or traditions or coun- 
cils, but upon KNOWLEDGE. It is a case of 
everyone knowing for himself. 

In passing we might note the fact that the 
truth bearers of all the ages have always been 



Christian Efficiency. 33 

Independent Thinkers. Moses, Isaiah, Christ, the 
Apostles, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Melanchthon, 
Newton — all these broke away from many of the 
religious beliefs of their day and church. They 
discarded wrong formulas and declared correct 
ones. 

It is interesting also to note that Believers in 
every age have ever prosecuted Independent 
Thinkers. Yet later, when they themselves had 
gained a little more Truth, they faced about and 
worshipped their memories. 

'*YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH AND 
THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE." 
John 8:32. 

Here we have a triple proposition: TRUTH, 
KNOWLEDGE, FREEDOM. 

We have seen that lack of knowledge of the 
correct formula, or Truth, or knowing the 
wrong formula, which is untruth, leads into 
error and bigotry, intolerance, fear, superstition, 
etc. But '*Ye shall know the truth.'' 

To lack Truth, or to know untruth, is like walk- 
ing in darkness or in semi-darkness. In one case 
we are either afraid to move least we fall over 
some obstruction or into a ditch, or else we 
actually do fall into the ditch of superstition and 
intolerance. In the other we see fearful forms 
and phantasms that seem always ready to pounce 
upon us. 



34 Christian Efficiency. 

TRUTH MAKES FREE. It frees you from 
fears and worries and restrictions. It makes 
clear that God is your Father, and that you are 
His son. It rends the veil, and gives you entrance 
into the Holy of Holies. It enables you to com- 
mune with Him, and to be led by Him. It makes 
unnecessary any rites or ceremonies or go-be- 
tweens in your relation to your Father. It makes 
it unnecessary for anyone else to tell you what is 
the will of God for you, for God the Advocate 
Himself is your Teacher. 

It is like walking in the light. You see clearly. 
You travel the pathway without stumbling, or 
wandering. The golden sunshine warms you, and 
the gentle breezes refresh you. You enjoy the 
beauties of the blue sky and the fleecy clouds. 
The trees whisper to you, the flowers nod to you, 
and the birds sing beautiful love songs into your 
ear. And within you dwells always a conscious- 
ness that your Savior accompanies you. There 
rests upon you a spirit of contentment and deep 
peace. Your pilgrimage is accompanied by con- 
stant happiness, beauty and love. Truth indeed 
makes you free — free to enjoy the wonders and 
the beauties and the blessings of our matchless 
religion — a personal and individual ONENESS 
WITH God. 

An Analysis of Sin. 
The importance of this subject would be hard 



Christian Efficiency. 35 

to over-estimate. By some churches the doctrine 
of sin has been held as a club over the heads of 
its communicants. With it they have laid upon 
the people a heavy burden of confession, penance 
and fear. 

Among the communicants of the more liberal 
churches the doctrine of sin has been a source of 
confusion and misunderstanding. Very few of 
them, in fact, can tell what their ideas with re- 
spect to sin really are. 

The Hebrew word CHET, and the Greek word 
HAMARTANO, both translated SIN, mean "miss- 
ing-the-mark." The idea is that of an archer 
aiming at a bull's eye and failing to hit it. 

SIN IS LAWLESSNESS. 

"Every one that doeth sin doeth also law- 
lessness; and sin is lawlessness." 1 John 
3:4. 

The Hebrew nation was theocratic. All of its 
laws were by commandment, and all were reli- 
gious. There was no distinction between sacred 
and profane laws. The moral, political, ritual, 
priestly, prophetic, ceremonial, dietetic, sanitary, 
and other statutes were all religious, and compre- 
hended under the title. The Law. 

Even such things as the washing of hands, the 
cleansing of dishes, the kinds of food that might 
be eaten, the distance oi a Sabbath day's journey, 



36 Christian Efficiency. 

intermarriage, etc., were all regulated by Divine 
Commandment, and constituted part of THE 
LAW. 

Today conditions are different. We are not 
under a theocratic form of government. There 
is no Religious Law. The nearest approach to it 
is Church Law. 

There is a sense in which we are **under the 
law." There are certain laws which control all 
creation, animate and inanimate. Saint and sin- 
ner are alike amenable to them. They are the 
NATURAL LAWS. And inasmuch as the Creator 
made these laws they are divine, and an ex- 
pression of His will. 

SIN IS LAWLESSNESS. You cannot break a 
natural law, nor even bend it. You can over- 
look it ignorantly, or disregard it unconsciously, 
or DISDAIN it deliberately. You can be lawLESS. 
In any case you will have to give a reckoning. 

Natural Law is Cause and Effect; you cannot 
have the one without the other. And every Ef- 
fect is at the same time a new Cause which is in- 
evitably followed by another Effect. 

^^WHATSOEVER A MAN SOWETH THAT 
SHALL HE ALSO REAP." This is a Natural 
Law, and is as absolute as that the sun shines. 

I do not know very much about the next world. 
I know neither the location nor the condition of 
Heaven or Hell. Neither do I know the state of 
the glorified or damned souls. I am speaking 



Christian Efficiency. 37 

only, as does the Bible, with respect to this world. 
And in this world, I find there is no such thing as 
FORGIVENESS OF SINS. 

Consider a railroad wreck. Who was respon- 
sible for it? Was the engineer because of care- 
lessness, or train robbers through viciousness, or 
the corporation through neglect, or the train dis- 
patcher through error, or just some natural cir- 
cumstance like a heavy fog, or a swollen river? 
NATURAL LAW is blind and does not consider 
the moral aspect of any act. Whosoever, be he 
guilty or innocent, saint or sinner, rich or poor, 
male or female, young or old, whosoever, I say, 
gets in the way of natural law is ground to 
pieces. It makes no difference as to who caused 
the wreck. The engineer, the passengers — all 
who are caught in it must suffer. 

An old broken-down sinner gets "saved." For 
many years he has been a booze fighter. He mis- 
treated his wife and abused his children, dressed 
them in rags and tatters, starved them, and kept 
them in the filth of the slums; all to satisfy his 
appetite for drink. His wife finally died of a 
broken heart. His sons, because of his example 
and their environment, wound up in the peniten- 
tiary; his daughters became outcasts. Though 
his daughters never married yet they ushered in- 
to the world a brood of children to be brought up 
as they had been brought up. Now this old sin- 
ner, I say, gets converted. He says his sins have 



38 Christian Efficiency. 

been forgiven. But have they? NOT A SINGLE 
SIN HAS BEEN FORGIVEN SO FAR AS THIS 
LIFE IS CONCERNED. His conversion does 
not bring back his wife from the grave. Nor 
does it make honest men of his sons, or decent 
women of his daughters. The evil which he 
started goes on. And when he stands before the 
Judgment Bar at the last day he will have to 
face, perhaps, thousands of his grand-children and 
great grand-children whose lives and souls he had 
wrecked by his viciousness. 

Sometime ago we read in the papers of a young 
man who had seduced a young girl with a 
promise of marriage and then, when she was 
near childbirth, had killed her. Before he was 
executed he became converted and was happy in 
the prospect of an eternity of joy with the pure 
in Heaven. 

But the Results of his deed still continue, and 
will forever. For in killing that girl and her un- 
born child who can tell how many generations he 
laid in the grave with them? His crime has 
changed the history of the world for all time to 
come. Perhaps some great man or woman might 
have been given to the world by the offspring of 
that murdered unborn child. Suppose that while 
she was in pregnancy the mother of Moses, or of 
Socrates, or of Christ, or of Paul, or of Napoleon, 
or of Columbus, or of Washington, had been 



Christian Efficiency. 39 

killed. How great would have been tne loss to 
this world! 

If your theology assigns to this young man a 
place among the glorified in Heaven, and gives 
him a golden crown and a harp, and puts a song 
in his mouth, I have no objection. For I admit 
frankly that I know nothing at all about the next 
world. I do know tnat in this world he was a 
seducer, twice a murderer, a liar and a perjurer. 
By the same token if you wish to consign the girl, 
whose only wrong was that she *'loved not wisely 
but too well," and that she was weak and trust- 
ing, to eternal torment because she was killed sud- 
denly and did not have time to utter a prayer, to 
that also I have no objection. What I say is that 
in this world they both paid the price of their 
sin, and that in this world the result of their deed 
must go on forever. 

But THE LAW spoken of in the Bible always 
refers to Religious law, and that means the laws 
pertaining to a theocratic form of government. 
These laws deal with sacrifices and atonements, 
forms, ceremonies, etc., etc. 

Christ is the fulfillment and the end of all 
Religious Law. Christianity is not a system, nor 
is it a list of **DOS and DON'TS." It is a Vital 
Relationship between Man and God, a Oneness 
with the Father, a Partaking of the Divine Na- 
ture, a New Birth, a Life. Therefore — there is 
no such thing as religious law for the Christian. 



40 Christian Efficiency. 

*'But we know that the law is good, if a 
man use it lawfully, as knowing this, that 
law is not made for a righteous man, but for 
the lawless and unruly, for the ungodly and 
sinners, for the unholy and profane, for 
murderers of fathers and murderers of 
mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, 
for abusers of themselves with men, for 
menstealers, for liars, for false swearers, 
and if there be any other thing contrary to 
the sound doctrine; according to the gospel 
of the glory of the blessed God, which was 
committed to my trust." 1 Timothy 1 :8-ll. 

The law, says Paul, exists only for the ungodly. 
It is devised to restrain the unrighteous, and to 
protect the righteous. God does not say "Thou 
Shalt Not Steal" to the Christian, because he does 
not need any such restriction. The Christian has 
no desire to steal. He is honest because it is his 
Christ nature to be honest. God commands the 
unrighteous not to steal so as to protect the 
Christian. 

"For sin shall not have dominion over 
you: for ye are not under law, but under 
grace." Romans 6:14. 

"For until the law sin was in the world; 
but sin is not imputed when there is no 
law." Romans 5:13. 

We are not under the law, and without law 
there is no sin imputed. 

Now understand me. The Christian may com- 



Christian Efficiency. 41 

mit sin in the sense of short-coming or "failing 
to hit the mark." But God does not impute sin 
to him. In other words, the short comings of a 
Christian have their consequences as inevitably 
as the crimes of the sinner, but they are without 
GUILT, and not imputed by God. 

Christ's disciples deserted him toward the last ; 
Peter denied him and swore, and Thomas refused 
to believe. We do not learn that Jesus ever held 
these things against them. 

*'0n the morrow he seeth Jesus coming 
unto him, and saith. Behold, the Lamb of 
God, that taketh away the sin of the world !" 
John 1 :29. 

The mission of Jesus is to destroy, to remove, 
sin. If he does not accomplish that then is He 
not a Savior. 

"But he that doubteth is condemned if he 
eat, because he eateth not of faith ; and what- 
soever is not of faith is sin." Romans 14 :23. 

The Christian must always work under posi- 
tive and definite personal instruction from God. 
He must be SURE. 

"To him therefore that knoweth to do 
good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." 
James 4:17. 

In the story of the Good Samaritan the Robbers 



42 Christian Efficiency. 

were guilty of the sin of Commission, and the 
Priest and Levite of the sin of Omission. 

"And he saith unto them, Are ye so with- 
out understanding also? Perceive ye not, 
that whatsoever from without goeth into the 
man, it cannot defile him; because it goeth 
not into his heart, but into his belly, and 
goeth out into the draught? This he said, 
making all meats clean. And he said. That 
which proceedeth out of the man, that defileth 
the man. For from within, out of the heart of 
men, evil thoughts proceed, fornications, 
thefts, murders, adulteries, covetings, wick- 
ednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, 
railing, pride, foolishness: all these evil 
things proceed from within, and defile the 
man." Mark 7:18-23. 

As a matter of fact there is really but one form 
of sin, and that is the sinful condition of the 
heart, or character. Wrong doing is merely the 
sinful heart in action. If a man is honest in 
character he does not steal; if he is truthful he 
does not lie. If the heart is righteous the actions 
are necessarily righteous also. That which in- 
flames a sinner only disgusts a Christian, because 
his heart is pure. 

"Let us not therefore judge one another 
any more; but judge ye this rather, that no 
man put a stumbling-block in his brother's 
way, or an occasion of falling. I know, and 
am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that noth- 
ing is unclean of itself." Romans 14:13, 14. 



Christian Efficiency. 43 

Since Christianity is an individual and personal 
relationship with God do not judge another man's 
actions. Nor let anyone else judge yours. First, 
be careful to see to it that you are carrying out 
God's will for you, and then be equally careful to 
see to it that you do not interfere with God's will 
for anybody else. God's will is not the same for 
all. Don't interfere with God by inducing a 
man to follow your ideas, instead of encouraging 
him to go direct to God for instructions. 

"This testimony is true. For which cause 
reprove them sharply, that they may be 
sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish 
fables, and commandments of men who turn 
away from the truth. To the pure all things 
are pure; but to them that are defiled and 
unbelieving nothing is pure; but both their 
mind and their conscience are defiled." 
Titus 1:13-15. 

This is a true saying. Many sinful acts are in 
reality but a wrong use of what is perfectly legiti- 
mate. Our normal passions and appetites are of 
God. It is no sin to eat, but it is a sin to glutton. 
Even the normal sexual desire is God-given, and 
therefore divine. Only its abuse is sinful. 

**And the peace of God, which passeth all 
understanding, shall guard your hearts and 
your thoughts in Christ Jesus." Philip- 
pians 4:7. 

If we have attained Destiny and entered upon 



44 Christian Efficiency. 

Mission, we have the peace of God to guard our 
hearts and minds so that nothing of evil can 
enter. We need not, therefore, despair of living 
a noble, pure. Christlike life. God has made every 
provision therefor. 

''Behold what manner of love the Father 
hath bestowed upon us, that we should be 
called children of God; and such we are. 
For this cause the world knoweth us not, be- 
cause it knew him not. Beloved, now are we 
children of God, and it is not yet made mani- 
fest what we shall be. We know that, if he 
shall be manifested, we shall be like him; 
for we shall see him even as He is. And 
every one that hath this hope set on him 
purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Every 
one that doeth sin doeth also lawlessness; 
and sin is lawlessness. And ye know that he 
was manifested to take away sins; and in 
him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him 
sinneth not ; whosoever sinneth hath not seen 
him, neither knoweth him. My little chil- 
dren, let no man lead you astray; he that 
doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he 
is righteous; he that doeth sin is of the 
devil; for the devil sinneth from the be- 
ginning. To this end was the Son of God 
manifested, that he might destroy the works 
of the devil. Whosoever is begotten of God 
doeth no sin, because his seed abideth in 
him; and he cannot sin, because he is be- 
gotten of God." 1 John 3:1-9. 

Since there is no Religious Law we cannot com- 



Christian Efficiency. 45 

mit a Legal Sin. If the heart has been purified 
by Christ, and has become the habitation of Gk)d, 
we cannot commit a Moral Sin. And if the char- 
acter is righteous, our actions will necessarily 
correspond to our inward condition and be right- 
eous also. So that the true Christian **cannot sin 
because he is begotten of God." 

An Analysis of Temptation. 

We have seen that sin may be classified into 
three different kinds: LEGAL, MORAL, AC- 
TUAL. 

Sin may be differently classified as being of 
two kinds: INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL. 

Internal Sin is a sinful, impure condition of 
the heart, or character. 

External Sin is a wrong action. God judges 
us by Internal Sin, and man by External Sin. 

External Sin is the fruit of Internal Sin. As 
the fruit of a tree indicates its character, so do 
a man's actions indicate his character. While 
the character of a tree is indicated by its fruit 
it is not determined by it. An apple tree is not 
such because there are apples hanging from its 
boughs. The apples are there because it is an 
apple tree. 

"Ye have heard that it was said, thou shalt 
not commit adultery: but I say unto you, 
that every one that looketh on a woman to 



46 Christixs Efficiinxy. 

lust after her hath committed adultery witii 

her already in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28. 

If a n:an's character is vicious, if he has In- 
ternal Sin, he is a sinner before God even though 
he commit no overt sins. A drunkard confined 
in prison may be sober for a long time, but he 
is a drunkard nevertheless. 

"But each man is tempted, when he is 
dra^^Ti away by his own lust, and enticed. 
Then the lust, when it hath conceived, bear- 
eth sin: and the sin, when it is fuUgrown, 

bringeth forth death." James 1:14-15. 

All temptation has its origin in Internal Sin. 
It springs from the heart. There is nothing with- 
out a man that of itself constitutes Temptation. 

Temptation is the stepping stone from Inter- 
nal to External Sin. 

Internal Sin is a LUST for something which 
is wrong. 

Temptation is an opportunity to gratify that 
lust. 

External Sin means indulging that gratifica- 
tion. 

I have said that no External object or circum* 
stance in itself constitutes a Temptation. Place 
a bottle of booze before two men, one a drunkard 
and the other a teetotaler. The booze will be a 
temptation to one, but not to the other. One has 
a lust for drink, and the other has not. An op- 



Christian Efficiency. 47 

portunity to steal forms a temptation to a thief, 

but not to an honest man. 

A MAN IS NOT A DRUNKARD BECAUSE HE DRINKS: 
He DRINKS BECAUSE HE IS A DRUNKARD. 

a man is not a thief because he steals: 
He steals because he is a thief. 

Since Internal Sin is the parent of Temptation 
no man can escape being tempted unless Sin has 
been rooted out of his heart. All the prayers, 
tears, austerity and cloistering in the world will 
not avail so long as the heart is not pure. 

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they 
shall see God." Matthew 5:8. 

To escape temptation requires a new character. 

But what of the Christian, the son of God, 
the one whose heart and character have been 
cleansed? Such a one cannot be tempted with 
evil. He can be tried, or tested. 

''Having then a great high priest, who 
hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the 
Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 
For he have not a high priest that cannot 
be touched with the feeling of our infirm- 
ities; but one that hath been in all points 
tempted like as we are, yet without sin." 
Hebrews 4: 14-15. 

Christ was in all points tried like we Chris- 
tians. He was not tempted as the sinner is. He 
was not tempted to theft, or lasciviousness, or 



48 Christian Efficiency. 

drunkenness, or any other evil. He could not be 
tempted by these things because he had no In- 
ternal Sin, no lust for these things. So with the 
Christian. 

** Knowing that the proving of your faith 
worketh patience." James 1:3. 

The Christian may be tempted, that is tried, in 
many different ways. His temptation may be 
over-anxiety for Christ, which will cause him to 
run ahead of God. Or it may be an ambition for 
future glory, by which he is prompted to exploit 
the sinners, to bring them to God, in order that 
he himself might lay up greater treasures in 
Heaven. In that case he is not working for God, 
nor the sinner, but for himself. 

The greatest temptation to which a Christian 
is subject I call Religious Hysterics. That is the 
temptation that overtook Jesus in the wilderness. 

'Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into 
the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 
And when he had fasted forty days and for- 
ty nights, he afterward hungered. And the 
tempter came and said unto him. If thou art 
the Son of God, command that these stones 
become bread. But he answered and said, 
It is written, Man shall not live by bread 
alone, but by every word that proceedeth out 
of the mouth of God." Matthew 4: 1-4. 

In other words, the Devil said to Christ, "If 
you are the son of God you have a great Mission 



Christian Efficiency. 49 

to perform. You have fasted now for forty days, 
and it is clear to see that you cannot last much 
longer. If you die what will become of your mis- 
sion? I advise you to make bread out of these 
stones and eat, that you die not, and that your 
work perish not with you." 

Jesus did not become at all alarmed or hyster- 
ical. He answered that He was not living by 
bread alone, but by the word, the instruction, of 
God. Since God had enjoined this fast upon him 
He would wait orders before ending it. If the 
Father made him fast till he died, that was His 
lookout. Jesus was concerned only about keep- 
ing in harmony with God's expressed will for 
Him. He knew that then everything was sure 
to come out all right. 

"Then the devil taketh him into the holy 
city; and he set him on the pinnacle of the 
temple, and saith unto him. If thou art the 
Son of God, cast thyself down : for it is writ- 
ten. 

He shall give his angels charge concern- 
ing thee: and. 

On their hands they shall bear thee up. 

Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a 
stone. Jesus said unto him, Again it is writ- 
ten. Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord 
thy God." Matthew 4:5-7. 

"If you are the son of God," said Satan, "jump 
off into the crowd below. God has said that his 
Angels will guard you so that no harm can come 



50 Christian Efficiency. 

to you. Compel Him to give evidence to the 
Children of Israel that you are His Messiah by 
putting Him to the proof on that promise. It 
will cause a great stir in the nation and will ad- 
vance your mission wonderfully." 

It is written *Thou shalt not make trial of the 
Lord thy God," replied Jesus. "I shall not be 
presumptuous. I can readily see where such an 
action would be apparently advantageous to my 
mission. But since the Father has given me no 
such instructions I shall not jump." 

**Again, the devil taketh him into an ex- 
ceeding high mountain, and showeth him all 
the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of 
them : and he said unto him. All these things 
will I give thee, if thou wilt lall down and 
worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him. Get 
thee hence, Satan: for it is written. Thou 
shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him 
only shalt thou serve." Matthew 4: 8-10. 

"See," said Satan, "before you are all the king- 
doms of the world. Your mission is to save 
them. Make me an obeisance and I will give you 
these kingdoms, I will proclaim you as the Mes- 
siah, and will order the people everywhere to wor- 
ship you. Within a few years, with my help, you 
can have saved the whole world. Otherwise you 
will be mocked, and jeered, and disbelieved, and 
crucified. Your work will be a failure, for at 
the end of three years your followers will be but 



Christian Efficiency. 51 

a handful. And after two thousand years, in 
Nineteen Hundred and Fifteen, your influence 
will be so little felt that all of Christian Europe 
will be shedding blood as if the Angels had never 
sung, Teace On Earth, Good Will Toward Men/ 
And in the meantime untold millions will die 
without ever having heard your gospel." 

''Leave me, Satan," replied Jesus, **for you can- 
not tempt me. I have no desire to worship any- 
one but God, and I serve Him only. All that you 
say is undoubtedly true, but God knows it as 
well as you and I. If He had wanted me to be 
honored instead of mocked, and to reign instead 
of being crucified, and if He had wanted the 
world to be saved in one instant. He would have 
so ordered. I am content to go the way He di- 
rects." 

Since a Christian cannot be tempted with evil 
it stands to reason that he must first undergo a 
change of character before he can be influenced 
to wrong doing. He is in the world, but not of 
it. He is like the diver, who is in the water — 
but not a part thereof. The diver is safe only 
so long as he keeps unbroken his connection with 
the upper world. So with the Christian. 

"Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye 

fall into manifold temptations ; knowing that 

the proving of your faith worketh patience. 

And let patience have its perfect work, that 

ye may be perfect and entire lacking in 

nothing." James 1: 2-4. 



52 Christian Efficiency. 

The trials which come upon a Christian are a 
very necessary means to his development. As 
such they are to be welcomed. 

From the way so many Christians whine about 
their trials, and their troubles, and their cares, 
one would think that they were suffering evil. 
Such Christians whine because they are weak, 
and they are weak because they whine. Their 
trials would be to them an instrument of grace 
and strength if they would but use them as such. 

"There hath no temptation taken you but 
such as man can bear; but God is faithful, 
who will not suffer you to be tempted above 
that ye are able; but will with the tempta- 
tion make also the way of escape, that ye 
may be able to endure it." 1 Corinthians 
10:13. 

You are not asked to bear more than others 
have borne, nor more than you are capable of 
bearing. God will make a way of escape with 
every trial, not that you may avoid it, but that 
you may ENDURE it. If you endure your trials 
cheerfully and gladly they cease to be trials, and 
you have escaped them. 

We make so much of our trials today, but by 
comparison we really have none. Trials, to the 
early Christians, meant being treated with ut- 
most contempt, being hounded from place to 
place, being arrested and scourged, being burned 
at the stake and torn to pieces by wild beasts; 



Christian Efficiency. 53 

it meant having wife, children, husband, dragged 
away and put to awful tortures. Yet these are 
the people who were told to rejoice in their great 
tribulations. How shall we, then, complain of our 
little annoyances? Only he that endureth trial, 
and rejoiceth in temptation, is blessed. 

"Blessed is the man that endureth temp- 
tation; for when he hath been approved, he 
shall receive the crown of life, which the 
Lord promised to them that love him." 
James 1:12. 

An Analysis of Faith. 

We have pictured God as a great Capitalist. 
We are his Sons and Agents. We represent him, 
each in his own sphere. God has a plan that cov- 
ers all of creation, but we see only our little end 
of it. Faith is one of the virtues in our equip- 
ment, and it is essential to Mission. 

Before entering upon an analysis of Faith let 
us discover just a few things that faith is not: 

Faith is not a tool for prying open the se- 
crets of the treasury of God. It is not a crowbar 
with which we can force the safe of Heaven. 

It is not a weapon with which we may com- 
pel God to do things that we happen to think are 
desirable, or necessary, to be done. 

It is not a means to shift your job, and your 
responsibility, upon God. 



54 Christian Efficiency. 

It is not a Magic Charm with which to work 
wonders. 

To my notion, "holding on to God by faith", 
which properly means, ''teasing God till He does 
what you want Him to do", is not faith at all, but 
PRESUMPTION. Since God is managing this world 
in accordance with his own plan, is it right to ex- 
pect that you should direct God, or that He should 
direct you? 

"Now faith is assurance of things hoped 
for, a conviction of things not seen." Heb. 
11:1. 

Faith is the ASSURANCE of our Hopes. Let 
me illustrate: 

I ask a woman if her son is coming home for 
the holidays. She replies that she has not heard 
from him in years ; that she does not even know 
where he is, but that she wishes that he would 
come home. That is Desire. 

I ask another woman the same question. She 
tells me that her son is in the habit of coming 
home every Christmas, and that therefore she has 
hopes that he will come home this Christmas too. 
She does not know for certainty, but she is sure 
that if nothing prevents he will come. That is 
Hope. 

I see this same woman a week later, and she 
joyfully informs me that her boy is coming home 
for Christmas ; that she has received a letter from 
him in which he gave her the ASSURANCE that 



Christian Efficiency. 55 

he would come. That is Faith. For faith is the 

ASSURANCE of OUr HOPES. 

FAITH ALWAYS RESTS UPON A PROMISE. 
As to the function of faith, it is the MOTIVE 
POWER within us that moves us to the perform- 
ance of God's will. 

Abraham is called the father of those who had 
faith. What did faith do for him? It caused 
him to leave his home, and his native land, and go 
into a far country on the strength of a promise 
made to him by God. Had he not had faith to 
accept God's promise, and had he not believed 
God, he would never had left for Canaan on what 
would have appeared to him as a "fool's errand." 
Faith was the motive power that moved him to 
follow God's directions. 

"And God said unto Abraham, As for 
Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name 
Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I 
will bless her, and give thee a son also of 
her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be 
a mother of nations ; kings of people shall be 
of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face, 
and LAUGHED, and said in his heart. Shall 
a child be born unto him that is an hundred 
years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety 
years old, bear? And Abraham said unto 
God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 
And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee 
a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name 
Isaac : and I will establish my covenant with 
him for an everlasting covenant, and with 
his seed after him." Genesis 17:15-19. 



56 Christian Efficiency. 

It is popularly thought that Isaac was born as 
a result of Abraham's faith. As a matter of fact, 
Abraham laughed scornfully at the idea that a 
man and woman of the advanced age of himself 
and Sarah should have a child. That does not 
look much like faith, does it? 

''And they said unto him, Where is Sarah 
thy wife? And he said. Behold, in the tent. 
And he said, I will certainly return unto thee 
according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah 
thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard 
it in the tent door, which was behind him. 
Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well 
stricken in age; and it ceased to be with 
Sarah after the manner of women. There- 
fore Sarah laughed within herself, saying. 
After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, 
my lord being old also? And the Lord said 
unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, 
saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which 
am old ? Is anything too hard for the Lord ? 
At the time appointed I will return unto 
thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah 
shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, say- 
ing, I laughed not ; for she was afraid. And 
he said, Nay: but thou didst laugh." Gen- 
esis 18:9-15. 

And Sarah, when she heard the promise of 
Isaac, laughed also. In addition she lied. I very 
much fear that if the birth of Isaac had depended 
upon the faith of either of his parents, or both, 
it would never had come to pass. Isaac was born 
not because of the faith of Abraham, but because 



Christian Efficiency. 57 

of the FAITHFULNESS of God. He was true to 
His promise in spite of the lack of Faith. 

*These are the generations of Noah: Noah 
was a just man and perfect in his genera- 
tions, and Noah walked with Grod." Genesis 
6:9. 

"Make thee an ark of gopher wood ; rooms 
shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch 
it within and without with pitch." Genesis 
6:14. 

"Thus did Noah ; according to all that God 
commanded him, so did he." Genesis 6 :22. 
In the story of Noah we are not told that God 
did all things that Noah commanded, but that 
Noah did all that God commanded. It was not 
Noah's "faith" that brought about the flood. God 
told Noah that the flood was coming and ordered 
him to build an ark, and to bring his family into 
the ark. Noah was moved by his faith in God 
to build the ark, and to do what else God said. 
It was the motive power within him. Had he 
not had faith in God he would not have built 
the ark, and he and his family would have per- 
ished with the rest. 

"Now Jericho was straitly shut up because 
of the children of Israel : none went out, and 
none came in. And the Lord said unto 
Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand 
Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty 
men of valour. And ye shall compass the 
city, all ye men of war and go round about 



58 Christian Efficiency. 

the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 
And seven priests shall bear before the ark 
seven trumpets of rams' horns : and the sev- 
enth day ye shall compass the city seven 
times, and the priests shall blow with the 
trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that 
when they make a long blast with the ram's 
horn, and when ye hear the sound of the 
trumpet, all the people shall shout with a 
great shout; and the wall of the city shall 
fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up 
every man straight before him." Joshua 6 : 
1-5. 

The Israelites had come up against Jericho. 
The question was how to take that fortified city. 
God solved the problem for them. He told them 
if they would march around the walls of the city 
once each day for six days, and seven times on 
the seventh day, and blow their trumpets and 
shout, that the walls would fall. Their faith in 
God prompted them to do what would otherwise 
be an absurdity. 

Suppose that some such tactic, though backed 
up by any amount of praying and "faith", were 
tried during the present European conflict. With- 
out a previous assurance from God, do you think 
it would work? 

Did the Disciples of Jesus Christ gain their 
power by forcing it from the Master through 
much "faith"; by begging and entreating and 
teasing? Or did Christ bestow it upon them vol- 
untarily, because it was in harmony with God's 



Christian Efficiency. 59 

plan that they should have it? When they were 
sent forth to heal the sick, and to raise the dead, 
and to cleanse the lepers, and to give sight to the 
blind, their faith was simply the motive power 
that moved them to go out and exercise the heal- 
ing virtue which had been bestowed upon them. 

I have stated that faith is the * 'motive power" 
which moves us to carry out the will of God for 
us. The conception of many to-day seems to be 
that faith is rather a power with which to move 
God. It is used as a means of compelling God 
to do what we ought to do. 

A Christian cries lustily to God to save souls. 
If God were saving souls without human instru- 
mentality the world would have been saved long 
ago. God loves the sinners infinitely more than 
the most earnest Christian possibly can. And 
I cannot see why He should want to be teased 
and begged to do that which it is His earnest 
desire to have done. 

If ''faith", or teasing God, is the proper thing 
in soul saving why spend millions of money and 
waste thousands of lives annually in our efforts 
to evangelize the heathen? Why not all the 
churches of America unite in prayer and "faith" 
some day so mightily that all India, or China, or 
Africa will be saved in a flash? It will not work 
because you CANNOT PUT YOUR JOB UPON 
GOD'S SHOULDERS. 

You pray, "God save souls", and God answers, 



60 Christian Efficiency. 

"you save souls." That is your work, Christian. 

You pray, *'God bless the sick," and God says, 
''you bless the sick." Remember the "Inasmuch." 

You pray, "Lord help our church," and then 
sit back expecting God to do it. God says, "you 
help the church." 

You pray, "God bless the poor," and then let 
them starve to death. God says, "you bless the 
poor." 

You pray, "God bless my family," and God 
says, "you bless your family." 

The kind act, the tender word, the loving ca- 
ress, the gentle reproof, the Christian exhorta- 
tion, the encouragement, all such blessings to 
your family can come only through you. God will 
not substitute for you. 

I heard of a case where in many years a man 
had not once taken out his wife in company. Dur- 
ing that time he had hardly given her a kind 
word, had never told her how nice she looked, 
or how sweet she was, or how much he loved her. 
He treated her as a mere matter-of-fact. Sever- 
al children had been born to them, and he de- 
clared that her sole duty was to minister to them 
and to him. She wasted away to a mere shadow. 
One day she confided to the minister's wife that 
she was starving for a kind word, for a caress; 
that she was dying because of the lovelessness of 
her life. It happened, fortunately, that this man 
happened to attend some meetings where his eyes 



Christian Efficiency. 61 

were opened. He changed and became a loving 
husband and father. His wife took a new lease 
on life, and today she is happy and healthy. 

The point of this story is that this man was a 
Christian, a church member, and prayed that God 
would bless his wife. He tried to shift his job 
to God's shoulders. 

"Therefore the people came to Moses, and 
said. We have sinned, for we have spoken 
against the Lord, and against thee ; pray unto 
the Lord, that he take away the serpents 
from us. And Moses prayed for the people. 
And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a 
fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it 
shall come to pass, that every one that is bit- 
ten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And 
Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it 
upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a 
serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld 
the serpent of brass, he lived." Numbers 
21 :7-9. 

The Israelites had murmured against God, and 
they had been bitten by firey serpents whose 
sting was death. They cried to Moses, ana Moses 
interceded for them. God said, **Erect a brazen 
serpent upon a pole, and whosoever looks upon it 
shall be healed of his sting, and live." 

Now we know perfectly well that it was not 
the serpent that healed those Israelites. If God 
had ordered a frog or a cat erected it would have 
been just as effective as the serpent. We know 



62 Christian Efficiency. 

that it was not the "faith" of the Israelites, for 
any amount of *'faith" without the required 
**look" would not have been effective. It was 
God who did the healing. The faith of the Is- 
raelites moved them to take the look at the ser- 
pent which God had given the assurance would 
heal them. Had they not had faith to accept 
God's assurance they would not have looked, and 
therefore would not have been healed. 

We must be careful not to make a divinity of 
an abstraction like Faith. Faith can do nothing 
of itself — it is an attitude of mind. Its function 
is to lead us to do things. Let us not therefore 
make a God of it, and attribute to it powers which 
belong only to the Almighty. 

Before examining the next illustration let me 
make a few remarks regarding the relation of 
Mind to Health. 

It has been scientifically demonstrated that 
emotions such as hate, fear, worry, anger, etc., 
poison the body and undermine health. On the 
other hand, contentment and happiness and har- 
mony with God, man and nature promote health. 
A Faith that "all things work together for 
good to them who love God" eliminates worry, 
and "perfect love casteth out fear." He who is 
a son of God should enjoy good health, for all 
the malignant influences have been expelled from 
his mind, and he is filled with divine influences. 



Christian Efficiency. 63 

"And a woman, who had an issue of blood 
twelve years, and had suffered many things 
of many physicians, and had spent all that 
she had, and was nothing bettered, but rath- 
er grew worse, having heard the things con- 
cerning Jesus, came in the crowd behind, 
and touched his garment. For she said, If 
I touch but his garments, I shall be made 
whole. And straightway the fountain of her 
blood was dried up ; and she felt in her body 
that she was healed of her plague." Mark 
5:25-29. 

Jesus did great works. It is a wonderful thing 
to have healed that woman who had been ill for 
so many years, and had suffered so much. But 
greater work shall we do, Jesus tells us. Would 
it not have been a greater work in the case of 
that woman to have prevented her illness, and 
thereby to have saved her from years of suffer- 
ing and from poverty? 

OUR GREATER WORK IS PREVENTION. 

I deem it a great work to see an old sinner 
come to Christ. But when I contemplate his mis- 
spent years, and the evil he has promulgated, 
when I consider how useless he is now to God and 
to man, I feel that it would have been an infinite- 
ly greater work to have saved him when he was 
a boy. It would have saved his wasted years, and 
prevented the vile influences of his life. THE 



64 Christian Efficiency. 

SUNDAY SCHOOL IS OF AS MUCH GREAT- 
ER IMPORTANCE THAN THE REVIVAL AS 
PREVENTION IS GREATER THAN CURE. 

"And if I have all faith, so as to remove 
mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." 
1 Corinthians 13:2. 

"But now abideth faith, hope, love, these 
three; and the greatest of these is love." 1 
Corinthians 13:13. 

Faith, as you see, is but a minor virtue. Love 
is greater than faith. If we supplicated and 
strove as earnestly for the "greater" love as we 
do for the "lesser" faith we would be better 
Christians. 

Faith in God is always accompanied by faith 
in self. As a Son of God in harmony with my 
Father, and having his love and protection, and 
with all the spiritual forces of life to aid me in 
my mission, why should I fear, or why should I 
crawl? You will not find in the writings of the 
Apostles except what rings out with a note of 
personal triumph, and power, and joy. "All 
things work together for good," "I have fought 
a good fight," "I can do all things through 
Christ." 

Thank God for a triumphant faith — a faith 
that moves me to Oneness with God, and to the 
possession of all the God-given powers and at- 
tributes. 



Christian Efficiency. 65 

An Analysis of Prayer. 

Prayer always is determined by, and harmon- 
izes with, our conception of God. 

For illustration, let us note the development of 
the prayer idea in Israel. 

Once the Israelites were a people without 
Prayer because they were a people without a God. 
They were slaves in Egypt. Heavily oppressed, 
they had no Deity upon whom they could call for 
help. 

As the Israelites were a people without a God, 
so Jehovah was a God without a people. 

"And I will take you to me for a people, 
and I will be to you a God." Exodus 6:7. 

By mutual agreement, negotiated through Mos- 
es, Jehovah adopted the Israelites to be His peo- 
ple, and they adopted Jehovah to be their God. 
He became the God of the Israelites only — a na- 
tional God, like the deities of other nations. 

To the Israelites Jehovah was then the mys- 
terious **I Am." He was a great Wonder Work- 
er who had sent the plagues upon the Egyptians. 
He had also proven himself a great Deliverer. 
When they, without organization, or training, or 
arms, had been trapped by Pharaoh's hosts at 
the Red Sea their God had proven stronger than 
the God of the Egyptians and had delivered them. 

-5 



66 Christian Efficiency. 

But He was a God afar off and unapproach- 
able. 

'*And the Lord said unto him (Moses), 
Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, 
thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the 
priests and the people break through to come 
up unto the Lord, lest he break forth upon 
them." Exodus 19:24. 

"And they said unto Moses. Speak thou 
with us, and we will hear: but let not God 
speak with us lest we die." Exodus 20:19. 

In the wilderness Jehovah arew a little closer 
to the Israelites by means of the Tabernacle and 
the establishment of the mercy seat. He dwelt 
in their midst, and governed them from between 
the wings of the cherubim on the Ark. 

Jehovah formed the Israelites into an army, 
and established a military camp. They now 
thought of Jehovah as a great Military Com- 
mander, the **God of Hosts," and **a Man of 
War." Jehovah had organized them by tribes, 
regulated them by laws, guided them by a pillar 
of light and a pillar of cloud, and had instructed 
them for forty years. At first Jehovah had 
fought for them, as at Jericho and the Red Sea; 
later. He fought with them — that is. He gave 
them the victory. 

After He had driven out the Canaanitish na- 
tions and had given Palestine to the Hebrews, Je- 
hovah became their King. He established a Theo- 



Christian Efficiency. 67 

cratic form of government based principally upon 
sacrifices and atonements and sacerdotal require- 
ments. 

Through all this period the Hebrews had no 
personal contact with their God. They could ap- 
proach Him only through intermediaries and inter- 
cessors, such as Moses, the Judges, the Prophets 
and the Priests. 

When the Hebrews elected an earthly king then 
Jehovah was elevated in their conception to be 
an Over King, or "King of Kings." His court 
was the wonderful temple built by Solomon. As 
the court of their earthly king was remarkable 
for its brilliance and splendor, so must the court 
of the King of Kings be still more glorious and 
majestic. For that reason they surrounded the 
worship of Jehovah with great pomp and cere- 
mony. 

When the people began to pray to their King 
of Kings they followed the pattern which pre- 
vailed in the court of their human king. They 
approached Jehovah with extreme deference and 
humility and self abasement, and with extrava- 
gant praise. Their prayers were set forms of 
speech, and usually consisted of flowery enco- 
miums of Jehovah, oriental flattery, and petitions 
that they might be favored of God. 

At first their petitions were national in char- 
acter. That is, they begged for the safety and 
prosperity of their nation, and the confusion of 



68 Christian Efficiency. 

their national enemies. Presently, however, they 
turned courtier, and were begging for personal 
peace and prosperity, and the confusion of their 
personal enemies, though they might be Hebrews 
like themselves. The Psalms of David give many 
examples of this form of prayer. 

The idea that God is "King of Kings," and 
that He must be approached with flowery flat- 
teries and supplications for national and person- 
al favors, was current even in the time of Christ. 
The expectation and desire was for a Messiah 
who should deliver them from Rome as they had 
been delivered from Egypt; who should rule over 
them in great splendor, who should give them 
prosperity and dominion over all other nations. 

Christ gave to the world a new conception of 
God, and of our relation to Him. God, he de- 
clared, is the Universal Father, and all man- 
kind are His children. Thereby He repudiated 
the idea of a chosen people, teaching that with 
God there is no longer "Jew or Gentile." 

PRAYER CAN BE TRUE ONLY WHEN IT 
IS BASED UPON THIS CONCEPT. 

For the purpose of clearness I shall here name 
a few things that prayer is not : 

PRAYER IS NOT A LICENSE TO BEG. If 
you who are parents were approached by your 
children only when they wanted something from 
you I do not think that you would feel either 
very flattered or happy about it. 



Christian Efficiency. 69 

PRAYER IS NOT A MEANS OF INFORMA- 
TION TO GOD. God knows all you can possibly 
tell Him. 

PRAYER IS NOT A CONGLOMERATION 
OF HIGH SOUNDING PHRASES, NOR A BOU- 
QUET OF ORIENTAL FLOWERS. God desires 
not flattery. 

PRAYER IS NOT A VEHICLE FOR 
PREACHING. Many pastors and Christian 
workers have a habit of sneaking in a lot of ad- 
vice and admonition for the congregation in their 
ostensible prayers to God. 

PRAYER IS NOT SO MUCH AIR STIRRED 
UP BY THE LIPS FROM A SENSE OF DUTY. 
If it is a duty it is no prayer. There is a vast 
difference between "saying your prayers" and 
"praying." 

Remember that God is SUPREME. You are a 
co-laborer with God, but not He with you. You 
are working WITH HIM, but He does the plan- 
ning and gives the instructions. 

People often ask me: Does God answer your 
prayers? If they mean does God do what I ask 
Him, the answer is. No. It is my business to do 
what He asks. 

IS PRAYER A MEANS OF INFORMING 
GOD, OR OF BEING INFORMED BY HIM?^ 

IS IT A MEANS OF DIRECTING GOD, OR 
OF BEING DIRECTED BY HIM? 

The average prayer is not answered because it 



70 Christian Efficiency. 

is Incomplete. It usually consists of giving God 
some information, throwing the responsibility 
upon Him, and then running away. 

Remember that God is more anxious to save 
souls, to feed the hungry and to minister to the 
sick than you possibly can be. Your incomplete 
prayers along these lines are vain. For if God 
could be moved by your prayers to do these things, 
how much more would He be moved by His Love, 
even if it were not backed by your prayers? God 
does not need you to tease Him. He needs your 
help, for you are his co-laborer. 

Every true prayer must end with a consulta- 
tion— "Lord, what shall WE do about it?" You 
and He are **fellow-workers together." 

True prayer means laying the matter before 
God and WAITING FOR ORDERS. 

For example : You pray for a poor widow who 
needs coal, and bread, and rent. You tell the 
Lord all about it, and then wind up by saying, 
"Now, Lord, please help her. Amen." Then you 
walk away and leave the responsibility entirely 
with God. Do you expect God to rain coal and 
food down upon her? What you should have 
done was to say at the end, "Now, Lord, what 
shall We, as co-laborers, do about it?" Then 
your prayer would have been immediately an- 
swered. For God would either have given you 
the honor of ministering to that widow, or else 
He would have directed you to where you could 



Christian Efficiency. 71 

have obtained the necessary aid for her. Unless 
you wait for orders your prayers must go un- 
answered. 

Let me say here that the prayers we are con- 
tinually uttering for increased Power, and Faith, 
and Endurance, and Love, and the other virtues 
are almost a waste of breath unless they are ac- 
companied by the exercise of what virtues we 
already have. For the virtues come only by De- 
velopment, and as a result of Use. 

To sum up, God is no longer a mysterious "I 
Am" ; He is not afar off, but in your heart ; He 
is not a warrior, but the "Prince of Peace" ; He 
is not a King, but your Father. We are no long- 
er servants, but Sons, and not soldiers, but Fel- 
low-workers. Prayer is not telling God what we 
want, or what He is to do, or how He is to do it. 
It is rather advising with God so as to find out 
His will for us, that we may with certainty and 
intelligence help along (and not hinder by mis- 
guided zeal) His plan. In other words, that we 
may really work together WITH HIM. Such 
prayers are answered, 100%. 

A Portrait of Messiah. 

Upon entering the pulpit of a new charge for 
the first time a minister found upon the desk a 
note which was signed by all of his official mem- 
bers. The note read : **Sir, we would see Jesus." 



72 Christian Efficiency. 

This is a cry that has been coming down the 
ages. The Disciples of Jesus didn't see Him. 
They saw only the human, the carpenter of Him. 
They did not understand his true nature and mis- 
sion until after His ascension. And today many 
hungry hearts are echoing the words of our text. 

Our conception of Christ is very apt to be that 
of the human. The image of Christ which we 
carry in our minds is that which the artists have 
composed for us. In a measure this image is 
true, for the flesh mirrors the spirit. I know 
that the features of Christ must have been di- 
vinely fair, because His character was divinely 
fair. 

But those in old times who saw the Galilean 
walking up and down the streets of Jerusalem 
did not see the Christ, for they could not see be- 
yond the flesh. The flesh is but a garment for 
the spirit. Christ is God incarnate, God within 
flesh and blood. But flesh and blood is not God. 

We are told that "when He shall appear we 
shall be like Him." Does that mean physically? 
Shall we all have a body like His, and be of His 
stature, and wear a beard like He wore? There 
surely is no advantage in that. 

Christ and his body were distinct. And the 
same holds true of us. Your body is but a fleshly 
garment clothed upon your true self, your ego. 
The body is merely an Instrument of Impression 
and Expression. 



Christian Efficiency. 73 

Your Ego, your Soul, can receive Impressions 
of this material world about you only through 
your body. If your physical eyes are blind, your 
Soul cannot see. If you are deaf, your Soul can- 
not hear. If you are lame, your Soul cannot walk. 
Even such a marvel as Helen Keller was com- 
pelled to receive her impressions through physi- 
cal means — through her finger tips. 

Whatever knowledge your Soul, your Ego, re- 
ceives can reach you only through a material 
channel — your physical brain. You accept the 
statements of your brain without question. 
Therefore if your brain has a clear and correct 
vision, you know Truth ; but if your brain is mis- 
informed, you are misinformed. Just a little tap 
on the head, a slight confusion of the gray mat- 
ter, can in a twinkling change a pious Christian 
into a murdering demon. The soul being Spirit 
cannot receive impressions of things material 
without physical aid. In this world, at least, the 
soul is without sight, hearing, locomotion o^ 
knowledge. 

The body, like all the rest of nature, is com- 
posed of material elements; is "of the earth, 
earthy." Yet it is divine because it was created 
by God, and because it has a sacred mission. For 
that reason is deserves care and consideration. 
For if your body does not convey to your Ego 
correct impessions of all things, material and 
spiritual, your life will be one continual blunder. 



74 Christian Efficiency. 

Let me warn you that you cannot dull your 
brain with booze and banquets; you cannot fill 
it with cheap novels, cheap melodramas, and 
other forms of trash; you cannot let it become 
overrun with weeds through disuse, you cannot 
darken it by entertaining unloving thoughts, or 
unrighteous ideals, or untruths, and KNOW GOD. 
In such case your brain becomes an imperfect 
mirror and distorts what it reflects. 

The body is also a means of EXPRESSION. 
That was why Christ took upon himself the form 
of man, that he might be able to manifest to a 
material world, in physical word and deed, His 
wisdom, His ideals, and His love. As a spirit 
we could not have comprehended Him with our 
physical senses. 

THE PHYSICAL IS THE TEACHER OF 
THE SPIRITUAL, AND AT THE SAME TIME 
ITS INSTRUMENT. 

"God is love."' Christ is God incarnate, there- 
fore He is love in flesh and blood. If you would 
see Christ you must see LOVE. 

When John the Baptist sent his disciples to 
Jesus to inquire whether he was the Messiah, He 
gave no direct answer. "Tell John that the blind 
receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are 
cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised 
up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to 
them." John needed no other evidence. In Love 



Christian Efficiency. 75 

thus manifested he discerned the Messiahship 
and divinity of Jesus. 

Christ's mission is also our mission. It is to 
reflect the Father, who is Love, in our manifold 
activities; in our business and domestic and so- 
cial and other relations, that in our deeds, our 
Love, others may behold God. 

Tolstoy has told a story that runs something 
like this: 

Michael, a poor Russian cobbler, had prayed 
for years that he might see Jesus. That was the 
one great passion of his life — to see his Lord in 
this world. 

One night he was awakened by a bright light 
at the foot of his bed, and by a voice which called 
him: "Michael, Michael." Michael answered, 
"Here am I Lord; speak. Thy servant heareth." 

"Michael," said the voice, "Thy prayer has 
been heard. Tomorrow I shall dine with thee. 
Be thou prepared." 

Michael was overjoyed. Unable to fall asleep 
again he got up and thoroughly cleaned his little 
basement dwelling of two rooms. With the few 
kopeks he possessed he bought some cheese, milk, 
butter and a loaf of bread. Then he sat down to 
wait for his Lord to come and dine with him. 

During the morning an aged beggar woman 
called upon Michael and begged of him a crust 
of bread. She had not received an alms in sev- 
eral days, and was very hungry. Michael had 



76 Christian Efficiency. 

never before turned her away. But now he told 
her he was expecting a distinguished guest, and 
since he had so little he could not possibly break 
into it. Thus he sorrowfully dismissed her. 

During the afternoon a man bearing a heavy 
load stumbled in front of Michael's shop. Michael 
ran out, helped him down into his shop, and in- 
vited him to rest and warm himself before he 
continued his journey. Presently the man in- 
formed Michael that his weakness was due to 
hunger; if he but had a crust to eat it would 
strengthen him, and he could go upon his way 
without difficulty. Michael explained in great dis- 
tress how he was waiting for a great guest to 
come and dine with him, and, since he had so little, 
he was compelled to send the man away hungry. 

Toward evening Michael heard a child crying. 
Rushing out he discovered a little lost boy. Ten- 
der-hearted Michael took him in and tried to con- 
sole him while the little lad warmed himself. But 
when the child sobbed that he was very hungry 
Michael, to save the meal for his expected guest 
intact, turned the child over to the police. 

Michael waited for his Lord to appear until late 
in the night. Finally his expectation died, and he 
went to bed sorely disappointed. But that night 
he was again awakened by the bright light, and 
again the voice spoke, "Michael, Michael." 

Michael sat up and cried out : "O Master, I am 
grievously disappointed. You promised me that 



Christian Efficiency. 77 

you would dine with me this day, and I waited for 
you, but you did not come. I am so disappointed." 
"Michael," answered the voice sadly, "three 
times did I visit thee this day, and three times 
would I have dined with thee, and three times 
didst thou send me away hungry." 

"But when the Son of man shall come in 
his glory and all the angels with him then 
shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and 
before him shall be gathered all the nations : 
and he shall separate them one from another, 
as the shepherd separateth the sheep from 
the goats : and He shall set the sheep on His 
right hand, but the goats on the left. Then 
shall the King say unto them on his right 
hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit 
the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world : for I was hungry, 
and ye gave me to eat : I was thirsty, and ye 
gave me drink : I was a stranger, and ye took 
me in : naked, and ye clothed me : I was sick, 
and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye 
came unto me. Then shall the righteous 
answer Him, saying. Lord, when saw we 
thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and 
gave thee drink? And when saw we thee 
a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and 
clothed thee? And when saw we thee sick, 
or in prison, and came unto thee? And the 
King shall answer and say unto them. Verily 
I say unto you. Inasmuch as ye did it unto 
one of these my brethren, even these least, 
ye did it unto me. Then shall he say also 
unto them on the left hand. Depart from me, 



78 Christian Efficiency. 

ye cursed, unto the eternal fire which is pre- 
pared for the devil and his angels : for I was 
hungry, and ye did not give me to eat ; I was 
thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a 
stranger, and ye took me not in ; naked, and 
ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and 
ye visited me not. Then shall they also 
answer, saying, Lord, when saw we thee 
hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, 
or sick, or in prison, and did not minister 
unto thee? Then shall he answer them, say- 
ing. Verily 1 say unto you, inasmuch as ye 
did it not unto one of these least, ye did it 
not unto me. And these shall go away into 
eternal punishment: but the righteous into 
eternal life." 

Atrophy — Living Death. 

There are some CONDITIONS in the universe 
which are Eternal and Indestructible. They form 
a natural background for our lives. Upon them 
we must paint the record of our existence. We 
are told by some that these conditions do not 
really exist, but are merely the Negatives of con- 
ditions that are. Nevertheless they are facts, 
and must be utilized and overcome or we cannot 
live. 

For the purposes of this address I shall name 
three of these conditions: They are DARKNESS, 

INCOMPLETENESS and NON-EXISTENCE. 

"In the beginning, God created the 
heavens and the earth * * * and darkness 
WAS upon the face of the deep." 



Christian Efficiency. 79 

When God created the universe He did not 
create darkness. It already existed. Light must 
be manufactured, but darkness IS. If you want 
darkness you need but turn out the light. But 
if you want light you cannot turn out the dark- 
ness — you must make the light. All darkness 
is natural, and all light is artificial. Even the 
sun is a created, an artificial light. 

Nothing that exists has ever naturally attained 
completeness. God made the wild rose, but man 
developed the American Beauty. God created 
music, but man developed it. Thus we read, that 
when God had made the beautiful Garden of Eden 
He put Adam in it to develop it. 

Non-existence is a natural condition. To bring 
into existence, to create life, whether plant or 
animal or human requires effort, energy. Non- 
existence requires nothing — it already is. 

What is true of our physical surroundings also 
applies to the mental and the moral realm. 

For example: The new born babe is merely a 
bundle of Capacities, of Potentialities. It has a 
body, but no strength; a brain, but no mind; a 
moral nature, but no moral concept. For it to 
remain without physical strength, or without in- 
telligence, or unmoral requires merely that it be 
let alone. But for it to become physically strong 
requires effort and exercise. To develop its 
mental powers and to give it intellectual light re- 
quires effort, study and mental exercise. And it 



80 Christian Efficiency. 

will obtain moral enlightenment only by develop- 
ment. 

Not only must the new born babe work for all 
that it gets of physical, mental and moral devel- 
opment, but it will take a continual struggle to 
merely keep what it does obtain. All life is a 
continual struggle for Light, Life and Perfection. 

You have undoubtedly heard of the eyeless fish 
in the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky. Their hab- 
itat is a body of water to which no ray of sun- 
light ever comes. They have eye sockets, but no 
eyes. The reason for their condition is to be 
found in a Natural Law. Away back their an- 
cestors were suddenly plunged into this darkness 
by some cataclysm. They had perfectly normal 
eyes then. But being unable to use them nature 
first atrophied them, and then took them away en- 
tirely. This is the law of USE OR LOSE. 

There are fakirs in India who make a vow that 
they will keep one arm stretched above their 
heads for a long period of years. At first they 
are compelled to use splints to help keep their 
arms erect. Presently, however, the arm becomes 
stiff, and it finally atrophies. Thereafter it is 
without sensation or the power of movement. It 
is dead. For nature says that what we do not 
use we lose. 

*'For unto every one that hath (to use) 
shall be given, and he shall have abundance ; 
but from him that hath not (to use) even 



Christian Efficiency. 81 

that which he hath shall be taken away." 
Matthew 25:29. 

Atrophy comes in three stages : inactivity, in- 
sensibility and DEATH. 

Let us draw a lesson from the experience of 
Sampson. His inactivity is typified by his self- 
indulgence and ease in the company of Delilah. 
The second stage was reached when he fell asleep 
on Delilah's lap. What followed was that he lost 
his hair, his manhood, his strength, his liberty, 
and a little later his life. 

The first stage of mental atrophy is mental In- 
activity, or Sluggishness. It evidences itself in 
a dislike for any kind of reading, or conversation, 
or activity that requires mental effort. It creates 
a passion for light and frivolous literature, for 
foolish novels, for sentimental melodramatic 
plays and **movies," and for vapid talk. There 
is one thing that it always avoids and that is 
MENTAL EFFORT— THINKING. 

The average person can go through the affairs 
of a whole day and use his brain hardly at all. 
A business man can perform the routine of his 
business, and the house-wife the routine of her 
home and hardly even tickle the conscious brain. 
Every performance is made automatically, and at 
the prompting of the sub-consciousness. 

For example: A girl starts out to take piano 
lessons. She first learns to strike the keys only 
by painstaking effort and mental concentration. 



82 Christian Efficiency. 

Fifteen years later she will play for you a most 
difficult composition and be chatting with you at 
the same time. Her mind now is not at all in- 
volved in the playing of that difficult piece. Her 
fingers conquer all of its intricacies under the 
guidance of her sub-conscious mind. And so with 
the average action of the average person. It is 
done sub-consciously, and therefore does not at 
all exercise the brain. 

You will find many people who, at the age of 
forty or forty-five, become extremely opinionated. 
Their friends will tell you that it is no use dis- 
cussing anything with them because they think 
they know it all. That is the second stage of 
Atrophy. They have become Insensible to New 
Impressions. No matter how logically and con- 
clusively you may prove your point they cannot 
see it. The brain will not respond to nor receive 
any new ideas. The only opinions or knowledge 
they can possibly have on any subject are those 
which they had already received before their 
brain reached this stage. That is why they are 
opinionated. 

Forty or fifty years ago it was quite common 
to see one or two aged people seated by a fire- 
place babbling childishly and playing with toys. 
They were in their "second childhood." And 
what is "second childhood?" When a brain has 
reached the stage where it can receive no new 
impressions, nature immediately begins to erase 



Christian Efficiency. 83 

the impression already there. Since the earlier 
impressions, made when the mind was most pli- 
able, are the deeper ones, naturally the later im- 
pressions, being shallower, go first. When the 
brain has finally been cleared of all impressions, 
save a few of the very earliest, it was called 
''second childhood." That is Mental Atrophy. 

We find a correspondence between Mental and 
Spiritual Atrophy. The first stage of spiritual 
atrophy is spiritual inactivity. This is evidenced 
by either a formal religion, or an entire lack of 
religion. Neither the ritualist nor the sceptic 
exercises his soul. 

The next stage is where a man becomes Dog- 
matic. He is right, and anyone who disagrees 
with him is wrong. He has arrived at the stage 
when he can receive no new religious impressions. 
He is living, spiritually, altogether in the past. 
For him there is no new revelation. 

The third stage is either where he has lost all 
of his former religious convictions, and religion 
has become to him merely church membership 
and a few empty forms, or where he never even 
thinks about religion at all. 

The world is full of Atrophied Christians — 
living corpses — walking sepulchres. When they 
have reached the last stage they are dead beyond 
the powers of resurrection in this world. 

The law of atrophy will, in some measure, ex- 
plain why some church members can lie, and 



84 Christian Efficiency. 

cheat, and backbite, and engage in unholy busi- 
ness, and give evidence of lack of love and many 
more unChristian tjraits, and yet really thin^k 
themselves Christians, and in harmony with God. 
The fact is, that they reached the final stage, they 
are atrophied. 

Beware ! if you have not a personal vital touch 
with God; if you take no pleasure in prayer, or 
in self denial, or in good deeds, or in God's house 
and God's work. You must either Use or Lose 
your spiritual capacities. 

The High Priests, the Scribes and the Phari- 
sees who caused Jesus to be put to death were 
just human beings like you and 1 — no better and 
no worse. The trouble with them was that they 
were Atrophied. They had been so swaddled in 
customs, and laws, and traditions; everything in 
life and religion had been so minutely defined and 
figured out for them, that they had no chance for 
thought, or for spiritual exercise. They had ren- 
dered blind and unquestioning obedience so long 
that they were spiritually dead and mummified. 

Jesus and his disciples broke away from the 
sacred teaching of home, and church and nation. 
They were spiritually alive. And they exercised 
themselves unto godliness, both in thought and 
action. They were not dead clay to be moved by 
the hierarchy. 

Christ warned his disciples against the leaven, 
that is the Influence, of the Pharisees and of the 



Christian Efficiency. 85 

Sadducees. He taught them that his religion 
was not a formulated system made up of laws 
and traditions, but a well of living water bubbling 
up within. 

In the parable of the Prodigal Son we have an 
excellent picture of the man who becomes partly 
atrophied, but gets back before it is too late. We 
are told that the boy was foolish; that he fol- 
lowed his desire, and then was lulled to sleep by 
the pleasures in which he indulged. Suddenly he 
awakened, and saw his condition, and what it 
would lead to. So he exerted himself, and came 
back to his Father. Although his Father re- 
ceived him with open arms and celebrated his 
return, this one significant fact must not be over- 
looked— THE BOY'S PATRIMONY WAS GONE 
FOREVER. Thereafter he was a penniless 
pauper living on the charity of his father and 
brother. 

The law of Use or Lose is imperative. You 
must exercise your physical, mental and spiritual 
capacity or you will atrophy. It were much better 
for you that you were an Active sinner rather 
than an Inactive saint. Such seemed also to be 
the opinion of John, the Revelator, for he quotes 
Christ as saying, "Because ye are neither cold 
nor hot I will spew ye of out of my mouth." 

As it is possible for you to do a thousand things 
in a course of a day without, in any way, exercis- 
ing your brain, so it is possible for you to per- 

-7 



86 Christian Efficiency. 

form a thousand religious acts and devotions 
without in any way exercising your soul. As the 
one spells mental death, or atrophy, so the other 
means spiritual death, or atrophy. The first stage 
toward atrophy, mental or spiritual, is inactivity. 
If you avoid inactivity you are sure to escape 
atrophy. 

An Analysis of Salvation. 

To obtain an intellectual grasp of this subject 
we must distinguish between three terms which 
are popularly understood to mean the same thing, 
but which have an altogether significance. They 
are SALVATION, ATONEMENT and RE- 
DEMPTION. 

''Which is a figure for the time present; 
according to which are offered both gifts and 
sacrifices that cannot, as touching the con- 
science, make the worshipper perfect, being 
only (with meats and drinks and divers 
washings) carnal ordinances, imposed until 
a time of reformation." Hebrews 9:9-10. 

''By which will we have been sanctified 
through the offering of the body of Jesus 
Christ once for all. And every priest indeed 
standeth day by day ministering and offer- 
ing oftentimes the same sacrifices, the which 
can never take away sins; but he, when he 
had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, 
sat down on the right hand of God; hence- 
forth expecting till his enemies be made the 



Christian Efficiency. 87 

footstool of his feet. For by one offering he 
hath perfected forever them that are sancti- 
fied." Hebrews 10:10-14. 

Atonement is a doctrine that is possible in a 
Theocratic form of government only. It deals 
with Legal sins. Thus, in the Jewish economy, 
if a man in any way violated THE LAW; if he 
walked too far on the Sabbath, or if he touched 
a corpse, or if he ate what was forbidden, whether 
he did these things intentionally or by accident, 
it was necessary for him to make an atonement. 
That is, he must be ceremonially purified, and 
must offer up a sacrifice to God. The principle 
involved was that since he had by his sin 
estranged himself from God, and had become un- 
clean to his nation, purification and reconciliation 
were both necessary. The one restored him to his 
national rights, and the other to favor with God. 
But Christ, once for all, fulfilled — satisfied — The 
Law. Inasmuch as we are not living in a theo- 
cracy, and inasmuch as we have no religious 
law, we Christians are in no way subject to the 
doctrine of Atonement. 

Redemption is a weaker term than Salvation. 
Redemption means to be rescued after defeat or 
misfortune has occurred. Thus, when the Jews 
were slaves in Egypt, they were Redeemed from 
their bondage. 

Salvation is Preventive. It rescues from ap- 
proaching danger — from a threatened calamity. 



88 Christian Efficiency. 

A man can be Saved from death, but he cannot be 
Redeemed from it in this world. 

"Thou shalt also suck the milk of the 
Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings ; 
and thou shalt know that I, the Lord, am thy 
Savior, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One 
of Jacob." Isaiah 60:16. 

The earliest ideas of Salvation were national 
in scope. In the minds of the ancient Hebrews, 
salvation involved protection from the enemy, 
victory in war, peace and prosperity. The cen- 
turies' long dream of the nation was of a Savior 
who should conquer all of their enemies, who 
should give them unbroken and incomparable 
prosperity, and who should subject all other 
nations to them. Even Christ's own Disciples 
were blinded by this vision, and for that reason 
did not understand the true character and mis- 
sion of their ]V±aster. 

Jesus, however, brought a new meaning to 
Salvation, and gave it a different significance. 
It become a purely Individual matter. The ma- 
terial benefits, which salvation had always com- 
prehended and emphasized, were now pushed 
aside and made secondary to spiritual gain. "Seek 
ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteous- 
ness, and all these things shall be added unto you." 

Salvation is not merely a pardon of External 
Sin. That is the function of Atonement. Neither 



Christian Efficiency. 89 

is salvation a ticket to Heaven. Its main busi- 
ness is with this world. 

"HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED 
JESUS, FOR HE SHALL SAVE HIS 
PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS." Matthew 
1:21. 

Salvation Involves Both Atonement and 
Redemption. 

First of all we are forgiven of God for all that 
we have done in the past to incur His displeasure, 
whether in thought, or action, or both. It also 
involves Redemption, for it rescues us from our 
enemies, and out of the bondage wherein we are 
enslaved by sin. Furthermore, Salvation saves us 
from all threatening danger, and gives us unfail- 
ing victory over our sins. 

There are many who seem to think that be- 
cause we are human it is impossible for us to live 
without sin. Humanly speaking it is impossible, 
but what we cannot do by Nature we accomplish 
by GRACE. As I have before stated, if Jesus can- 
not save us from sin then is he not a Savior, but 
only a Philosopher like Buddha, or Confucius. If 
our religion still leaves us in slavery to sin then 
is it merely a Moral Philosophy, and not "The 
power of God unto salvation." 

Salvation saves from the world, the FLESH and 
the EVIL. 



90 Christian Efficiency. 

**And be not conformed to this world ; but 
be ye transformed by the renewing of your 
mind, that ye may prove what is that good, 
and acceptable, and perfect will of God." 
Rom. 12:2. 

By the 'Vorld" is meant the many activities of 
men which are contrary to the righteousness of 
God. It does not mean the **earth" for all nature 
was created by God and declared **good." 

**Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit 
the earth." The value of ownership lies in the 
pleasure or service which we can at will derive 
from the thing owned. It is your privilege to 
''^own" the earth, and to make it a source of pleas- 
ure and service to you. You may command, and 
the stars will sing to you. The flowers and 
grasses, the birds, the animals, the trees, the hills, 
the mountains and valleys, the brooks, the ocean, 
and all else that God has created, but await your 
pleasure to entertain and benefit you. This is 
pure pleasure. Godly and undefiled. 

Salvation will redeem and save you from the 
filth of the world. It will keep you from the 
worthless, insipid, contaminating business meth- 
ods, social customs and hysterical self-indulgence 
which are in such large measure draining the 
beauty and vitality of the men and women of this 
and other nations. 

'*But God hath chosen the foolish things 
of the world to confound the wise; and God 



Christian Efficiency. 91 

hath chosen the weak things of the world 
to confound the things which are mighty." 
1 Cor. 1 :27. 

Salvation will save you from the dominion of 
your body, and make you Master of yourself in- 
stead of a weak, cringing slave to fleshly lusts. 

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the 
Vghty we have fellowship one with another, 
and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleans- 
eth us from all sin." 1 John 1 :7. 

'There is no fear in love ; but perfect love 
casteth out fear ; because fear hath torment. 
He that feareth is not made perfect in love." 
1 John 4:18. 

Salvation gives immunity from Internal and 
External sin. By purifying the heart it gives 
complete victory, for if our desires and ideals 
are good our actions cannot be bad. 

This is the great difference between the Mosaic 
and the Christian dispensations. Moses Forgave 
sin, but Jesus Conquers and Eliminates it. Atone- 
ment obtained forgiveness for single sins, and 
had frequently to be made. Salvation saves in 
one operation from all sin. 

Salvation saves from wrong, and from harm. 
It frees us from temptation, and from death (of 
our real selves), it fortifies us against sickness 
and poverty, it removes sorrow and unhappiness. 
It introduces us to God, and causes our adoption 
into divine Sonship. It ushers in all the divine 



92 Christian Efficiency. 

virtues. It gives mastery and power, and makes 
life one grand, triumphant, happy pilgrimage. 

Christian Efficiency. 

The DESTINY of a Christian is to attain 
Christian Perfection. That means to attain 
FULLNESS, COMPLETENESS, as a Son of 
God. Only when he has attained Destiny has the 
Christian reached his maximum of Efficiency. 

THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE OF EFFI- 
CIENCY IS SERVICE. 

A few years ago the motto of the business 
world was ''caveat emptor." That means — let the 
buyer beware. In those days a business trans- 
action was somewhat in the nature of a duel of 
wits. If the merchant could sell you a $15.00 
suit for $17.00, he congratulated himself that he 
was smarter than you. If you got it for $13.00, 
he considered you a shrewd man. 

Today, conditions are different. The business 
motto now is, ''Satisfaction guaranteed, or money 
refunded." The watch word is "SERVICE." It 
is this, SERVICE, which has built up the great 
industries of the world. Business men know that 
so long as they can make it both pleasant and 
economical for you to deal with them, that they 
can bank both on your trade, and upon your 
recommendation to your friends. 



Christian Efficiency. 93 

SERVICE IS RECIPROCITY. 

If you have a farm, do not expect it to 
grow crops for you just simply from a sense of 
duty. You know that you must first of all min- 
ister to it. You must plow it, and plant it, and 
cultivate it, and drain it, and do for it whatever 
else it needs. Then it will reciprocate with a 
crop. 

Suppose you have a valuable horse. You give 
him food and drink, you wash him and curry him, 
you provide him shelter and a warm clean bed, 
you exercise and train him. In other words, you 
become his servant, because only by so doing can 
you obtain, in return, the best service from him. 

Even your auto, if you are fortunate enough to 
own one, demands that you should serve it if you 
would have it give you satisfaction. You must 
wash it, and oil it, and feed it gasoline, and re- 
pair it, etc., etc. 

SERVICE IS THE SECRET OF SUCCESS. 

Caruso comes to this country and we pay him 
fabulous sums to hear him sing. Why? Because 
his singing highly serves our taste for vocal 
music. Paderewski is famous and rich because 
he pleases us with his wonderful performances. 
Bernhardt has been honored because her acting 
contributes in the highest degree to the dramatic 



94 Christian Efficiency. 

instinct in people. The memory of Shakespeare 
and Dickinson is cherished because their writings 
appeal so strongly to our literary tastes. A 
preacher is successful only in the degree that he 
serves the religious sense of the people. One and 
all they serve us. 

THE GREATER THE SERVICE THE GREAT- 
ER THE SUCCESS. 

"Even as the Son of man came not to be 
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give 
his life a ransom for many." Matthew 20 :28. 

Jesus recognized that principle and applied it 
in His own life. 

"Not so shall it be among you: but whoso- 
ever would become great among you shall be 
your minister: and whosoever would be first 
among you shall be your servant." Matthew 
20:26-27. 

He also taught it to his disciples. It applies 
with equal force to you and me. Upon the ap- 
plication of this principle depends our Efficiency, 
our Success as Christians. 

"His lord said unto him, Well done, good 
and faithful servant: thou has been faithful 
over a few things, I will set thee over many 
things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." 
Matthew 25:21. 

"And cast ye out the unprofitable servant 



Christian Efficiency. 95 

into the outer darkness: there shall be the 
weeping and the gnashing of teeth." Matthew 
25 :30. 

He gave it to the multitude in the form of a 
parable. How easily could the application be 
made to modern business. The manager goes up 
to one employe, and says; "You have been work- 
ing for me for some time, and have proven your- 
self able and diligent. The books show that you 
are profitable to us, so I am going to raise your 
salary, and promote you." To another he says, 
"I find that you are careless and inefficient. The 
books show that we are losing money on you. 
Since it is to our disadvantage to retain you any 
longer consider yourself discharged." 

EVEN LOVE IS BUILT UPON THIS BASIC 
PRINCIPLE. 

When two people are in love with one another 
each ministers to the other's pleasure and happi- 
ness. If they cease to enjoy one another's com- 
pany love is gone. 

"Have this mind in you which was also in 
Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of 
God, counted not the being on an equality 
with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied 
himself, taking the form of a servant, being 
made in the likeness of men : and being found 
in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, 
becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the 



96 Christian Efficiency. 

death of the cross. Wherefore also God 
highly exalted him, and gave unto him the 
name which is above every name : that in the 
name of Jesus every knee should bow, of 
things in heaven and things on earth and 
things under the earth, and that every tongue 
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to 
the glory of God the Father." Philippians 
2:5-11. 

Jesus was the world's greatest SERVANT, and 
for that reason, Paul says, he became the world's 
greatest MASTER. 

If we have attained DESTINY and have en- 
tered upon MISSION, SERVICE becomes the 
natural expression of our lives. Just as a perfect 
rose serves by its natural beauty and fragrance, 
and as the perfect gun ministers by naturally 
shooting straight. 

The normal desire of a Christian — of one who 
loves God — seems to be to minister to Him. But 
we cannot serve God Directly. We cannot give 
Him anything, for already everything belongs to 
Him. Sacrifices and burnt offerings are not to 
his taste. Empty compliments and oriental flat- 
tery, whether in song or prayer, are gifts that He 
does not prize. We cannot build Him a church 
because He does not need it; He is neither a sin- 
ner to be converted nor a weakling who needs 
spiritual encouragement. A hospital is of no di- 
rect value to Him because He is never ill. Neither 
can we present Him with an institution of learn- 



I 



Christian Efficiency. 97 

ing, because He is already educated far beyond the 
ability of anyone in this world to teach Him. 
How then shall we serve God? 

You can serve God by ministering to His Pa- 
ternal Instinct. Recognize His fatherhood, and 
your Sonship. In the days of Christ the father 
was the head of the family, and his will was su- 
preme with all the other members thereof. In 
such manner do you recognize your relationship 
to God. 

**And the King shall answer and say unto 
them, Verily I say unto you. Inasmuch as ye 
did it unto one of these my brethren, even 
these least, ye did it unto me." Matthew 
25:40. 

Yet you can serve God by means of the church 
and hospital, by home and foreign missions, by 
Young Peoples' Society and Sunday School, 
when these are provided not as a useless gift to 
God, but as a practical means of serving your fel- 
low man. Only through your fellow man can you 
reach God with service. 

"So then, my beloved, even as ye have al- 
ways obeyed, not as in my presence only, but 
now much more in my absence, work out 
your own salvation with fear and trembling : 
for it is God who worketh in you both to will 
and to work, for his good pleasure." Philip- 
pians 2:12-13. 

The service you render must be in your own 
sphere. Do not try to imitate the tasks allotted 



98 Christian Efficiency. 

to others. Get your orders from Him. You can- 
not go wrong for God will direct you; He will 
work IN and through you to perform His good 
pleasure. 

**Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, 
neither cast your pearls before the swine, 
lest haply they trample them under their 
feet, and turn and rend you." Matthew 7:6. 

Do not become over-zealous and attempt to 
force your services upon others indiscriminately. 
By so doing you are apt to make both yourself 
and your religion obnoxious. Keep under God's 
direction. 

"Ye are the light of the world. A city set 
on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light 
a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on 
the stand ; and it shineth unto all that are in 
the house. Even so let your light shine be- 
fore men; that they may see your good 
works, and glorify your Father who is in 
heaven." Matthew 5:14-16. 

Just LET your light shine. If you are a true 
Christian you need only to be natural, and your 
religion, evidenced in your manner, appearance 
and conversation will enlighten those about you, 
and manifest the Father. 

"That the name of our Lord Jesus may be 
glorified in you, and ye in him, according to 
the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus 
Christ." II Thessalonians 1 :12. 



Christian Efficiency. 



99 



Be about your Father's business every hour of 
the day. Remember that your business is the 
Father's business. You are a member of the firm 
of "God and Sons." Whatever you have in Time, 
Talents and Money are only entrusted you to in- 
vest for Him. So conduct yourself in your every 
relation of life that you may be a continual and 
a beautiful recommendation of Jesus Christ and 
His religion. Be profitable to God. 






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